Kerala HC slams bizman for staying in jail after bail
Kerala HC reprimands businessman Boby Chemmanur for delaying bail release, claiming solidarity with remand prisoners; he later apologizes for actions.
The Kerala high court on Wednesday pulled up businessman Boby Chemmanur for staying back in jail and “playing drama” despite his application for bail being approved by the court the previous day and threatened to cancel his bail. His lawyers, however, apologised to the court for his conduct.
Chemmanur, owner of a chain of jewellery shops, was arrested on January 8 for allegedly making obscene and lewd comments about a woman actor. On January 9, he was remanded to judicial custody by the Ernakulam magistrate court.
On Tuesday, the high court granted him bail and the release order was made available to his counsel by evening. However, for some reason, the release order was not produced before the jail superintendent. People familiar with the matter said that Chemmanur stayed back to allegedly display solidarity with other remand prisoners who were imprisoned in various cases.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan orally censured the businessman for “playing with the high court” by not coming out of jail despite securing bail.
“If I can release, I know how to cancel the bail also...you need not take vakalath of remand prisoners also. High Court and judiciary are there to protect remand prisoners....he is playing with the High Court. When there is an order, he is keeping it in the pocket for media attention and creating stories,” the judge orally remarked.
“He thinks that nobody is above him...I will show him. Is this the manner in which an accused behaves?” the court asked.
After the court’s stern stand, Chemmanur was released from jail and his counsel expressed an unconditional apology in court.
Chemmanur later told reporters that there was a “technical fault” behind the release order not being produced before the magistrate on Tuesday.
“Today, the release order was produced and I came out. It is true that there were some remand prisoners there with me who were caught in small cases and did not have the financial means to post bail. They asked for legal aid and I said I will do what I can. But that’s not why I delayed my release from jail,” he claimed.
“I have not intentionally made any remarks or actions to cause grief to someone. If I have made such remarks unintentionally causing hurt to someone, I apologise,” he said.
Chemmanur, a Thrissur-based businessman, was accused of making indecent remarks about a woman actor who had also appeared with him during inaugurations of his jewellery stores. The actor, in a complaint to the police along with digital evidence, alleged Chemmanur disparaged her with “double meaning” remarks and stalked her at certain public events after she said no to his invites for inaugurations.
He has regularly hit headlines for making remarks with “double meaning” about women and other topics during interviews and public events. In 2012, he came into the limelight after he got football legend Diego Maradona to come to Kannur, Kerala and inaugurate one of his jewellery stores.