Miss Grand International releases list of allegations vs Rachel Gupta that are under legal review

First on the list is "defamation and dissemination of false information," after Gupta had accused them of not helping her when she had lost $1,000 (P55,848) while she was on their grounds.

MGI asserted that the claim was "fabricated with no factual basis and made solely to seek additional financial compensation."

They also alleged that the beauty queen had privately contacted their sponsors to "gain personal benefits for her family, including requesting free cosmetic surgery" and underwent unauthorized cosmetic procedures while under contract without notifying the company as required.

The organization further claimed that Gupta attempted to coerce the organization into paying an additional $4,500 (P251,266) supposedly without submitting any supporting documents, relying only on "unverified personal claims."

It went on to accuse her of engaging in inappropriate physical conduct by "frequently hugging male staff members and LGBTQ+ team members, including creative directors, cameramen, makeup artists, and hairstylists."

MGI is also considering suing Gupta for describing their products as "cheap," "low-quality," and "disgusting," and making "misleading and false statements regarding her qualifications and background" during interviews and the competition before the final judgment.

The Indian beauty queen also allegedly did not perform her assigned duties and "repeatedly disregarded" contractual clauses that were explicitly outlined and agreed upon.

On May 28, MGI announced the termination of Gupta's title as Miss Grand International 2024 due to her "failure to fulfill her assigned duties, engagement in external projects without prior approval from the organization, and her refusal to participate in the scheduled trip to Guatemala."

However, Gupta released her own statement, stating that she had decided to step down due to alleged "mistreatment" during her reign.

She delved more into her reasons in an emotional 56-minute video, asserting that the organization "only cared about money" and was "impossible to work" with.

The Philippines' Christine Juliane "CJ" Opiaza, who was 1st runner-up, was later crowned Miss Grand International 2024.

Gupta cautioned her fellow beauty queen and expressed both concern and hope for Opiaza's upcoming journey, saying, "I hope to God that she does not experience the same thing I did, but the truth is that this is the organization that she is choosing to work with."

In the same press conference, the beauty queen said she allegedly experienced sexual harassment with MGI, including representatives "pinching" her body and telling her that she had put on weight and posting zoomed-in photos of her body parts online.

She also claimed that organizers only paid her a stipend for one month and that she wasn't able to travel to over 20 countries during her reign as promised.

Gupta has yet to issue a response regarding MGI's list of allegations against her.