E-Paper
Another top actor booked, gets court relief
Besides Mukesh, actors Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Congress leader VS Chandrasekharan and two production controllers – Noble and Vichu – have also been booked for alleged assault, making inappropriate gestures and insulting the woman in the same case
Kochi: Prominent Malayalam actor and CPI(M) legislator M Mukesh has been booked for rape on a complaint by a female artiste, police said on Thursday, a case that sparked a fierce political debate amid a #MeToo wave in the Kerala film industry and calls for his resignation from the assembly, even as a local court granted the 67-year-old protection from arrest until September 3.
Besides Mukesh, actors Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Congress leader VS Chandrasekharan and two production controllers – Noble and Vichu – have also been booked for alleged assault, making inappropriate gestures and insulting the woman in the same case, people aware of the details said.
The actor, however, dismissed the allegation and accused the complainant and her husband of trying to “blackmail” him. He was also granted anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam district and sessions court later in the day.
There were no immediate reactions from the remaining accused.
The case against Mukesh was registered on Wednesday night at Maradu police station in Kochi city under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and not under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, since the alleged offence took place before the new criminal laws came into force in July this year, the people cited above said.
“Mukesh is not absconding. He is willing to cooperate with investigating officers and answer their questions. We have submitted all electronic evidence in court,” the actor’s counsel Joe Paul said.
On Sunday, the Kerala government had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe allegations of sexual abuse against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry sparked by the Justice Hema Committee report last week.
On Monday, a case of misbehaviour was filed against filmmaker Ranjith at Ernakulam North police station on a complaint by a Bengali female actor. Two days later, Malayalam actor Siddique was booked for rape on a complaint by a woman artiste. SIT, on Thursday, collected evidence from Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, where the alleged assault took place in 2016.
The case against Mukesh intensified the political row over allegations of sexual abuse, as opposition parties, activists and a section of leaders within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) demanded his resignation as a legislator.
CPI(M) leaders, however, indicated that there is no reason for him to resign. LDF convener E P Jayarajan said much bigger sexual assault cases were registered against two other MLAs who had not resigned. He was referring to Congress legislators M Vincent and Eldhose Kunnappilly.
“There are two MLAs who face sexual abuse cases. If those two MLAs are forced to resign by the respective parties, certainly, the third MLA will also quit. We will not protect any culprit,” he said.
CPI leader Annie Raja insisted Mukesh tender his resignation from the House.
“Since he is facing charges under non-bailable sections, it is important that Mukesh resign from his constitutional post. Many women have raised such sexual abuse allegations against him,” she said.
