A Kochi court on Thursday (September 5) night granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor-politician Mukesh and actor and former AMMA General Secretary Edavela Babu in a sexual assault case. Serious allegations were levelled against them by a former Malayalam actor, Minu Muneer. Following the accusations, Muneer lodged a police complaint against Mukesh, Edavela Babu, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju and others.
Allowing the anticipatory bail pleas of Mukesh and Babu, Ernakulam District and Sessions Judge, Honey M Varghese in the order said, "Petition is allowed," PTI reported.
What were the allegations?
Last week in August, after the Hema Committee report was out, Minu Muneer penned a lengthy Facebook post where she detailed her harrowing experiences of ''physical and verbal abuse'' she suffered in the hands of these prominent celebs.
The actor revealed she was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. She tried to cooperate and continue working in the Malayalam film industry but the abuse became so unbearable that she was forced to leave the industry and relocate to Chennai.
Mukesh's statement
After the allegations, Mukesh, in a statement called for a ''fair and transparent inquiry''.
He said, "In response to the allegations raised against me and other film industry colleagues, I welcome the ongoing investigations. A fair and transparent inquiry is crucial to uncover the truth behind the accusations being discussed in the public domain''.
The aftermath of the allegations
FIRs were registered against Mukesh and Babu based on the statement given by the victim to the Special Investigation Team (SIT)- formed after the publication of Hema Committee report which deals with issues: including sexual harassment, gender discrimination, pay disparity and safety of women in the Malayalam film industry.
As per a report in Bar and Bench, both were booked under Sections 354 (assaulting or using criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman with words, sounds, gestures, or objects) of the Indian Penal Code.
The actors approached Ernakulam Sessions Court by filing separate anticipatory bail pleas over the rape allegations made against them.
Mukesh, in his bail plea, claimed he is innocent, and also stated that the complaint was made against him to tarnish his career: political and acting.
Babu, in his plea, stated that it's a criminal conspiracy to malign the reputation of a few actors in the Malayalam industry.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Kerala High Court formed a Special Bench consisting of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice C.S. Sudha. The bench will hear public interest litigations (PIL) filed following the release of the Hema Committee report.
