In a relief to actor and two-time CPI-M legislator and actor Mukesh and former Malayalam Film Artists Association general secretary Edavela Babu, who have been booked by the police over allegations of sexual assault by a former actress, a court in Kerala’s Kochi on Thursday night granted them anticipatory bail.
The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, while granting Mukesh interim relief from arrest last week till final orders are issued, granted him anticipatory bail. Babu was also granted bail.
Trouble has been brewing in the Malayalam film industry since the publication of the damning report by Judge K. Hema Committeewhich investigated the conditions of women working in Malayalam film industries and made explosive revelations, triggering a storm of complaints against leading film personalities.
Kerala Police has so far registered FIRs against 11 persons, ten of whom are from the film industry, based on the complaints of actresses. Among those in the dock after the police registered FIRs are actors Mukesh, nivin paulySiddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and VK Prakash, and production executives Vichu and Noble. Actor Baburaj and director Tulasidas have also been named in the complaints, but no complaints have been registered against them so far.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team comprising seven police officers, of whom four are women IPS officers, is taking statements from the victims who have lodged complaints but has not yet questioned the accused.
In a related development on Thursday, Acting Chief Justice of Kerala High Court A. Muhamed Mustaque ordered the formation of a special two-member bench comprising Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and CS Sudha to examine all cases to be registered based on the Hema Committee report.
Meanwhile, the powerful Producers Association, in its first reaction to the explosive report, on Thursday expressed concern over the way “false allegations are coming in.”
“The situation is such that with the Hema Committee report, anyone can make any allegation, which will not augur well for the civil society, so the state government should take note of it. The overall objective of the Hema Committee may also be affected,” the Association said.
–IANOS
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