In September also, the SIT had arrested Mukesh in connection with another sexual harassment case and was immediately released on bail.
Published Oct 22, 2024 | 10:27 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 22, 2024 | 10:27 AM
Actor politician Mukesh. (X)
Actor and politician M Mukesh was arrested by the Vadakkanchery Police on the night of Monday, 21 October, in connection with an alleged 2011 sexual assault.
The woman who filed the complaint accused Mukesh of misbehaving with her during his stay at Nakshatra Hotel in Vadakkanchery during the filming of a movie.
Following the allegations, Mukesh was summoned to the Vadakkanchery Police Station, where his arrest was formally recorded. However, he was later granted bail after being taken into custody, as the Kerala High Court had earlier accepted the CPI(M) MLA’s anticipatory bail plea.
Two separate cases have been registered against Mukesh—one by the Vadakkanchery Police and another by the Kochi Maradu Police, further complicating the legal situation surrounding the allegations.
However, this is not the first time, Mukesh has been arrested and released on bail.
In September also, the SIT (Special Investigation Team) had arrested Mukesh in connection with another sexual harassment case and was immediately released on bail.
On 29 August, an FIR was registered against Mukesh under non-bailable offences including rape (IPC 376) at the Maradu police station, in Ernakulam.
The FIRs against high-profile Malayalam film personalities came after several actresses levelled allegations against them for sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour, in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.
Mukesh represents Kollam in the Kerala Assembly.
The Kerala government constituted the Justice Hema Committee after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.
The publication of the Justice K Hema Committee report opened a can of worms with several female actors stepping forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.
The Hema Commission report was made public on 19 August, five years after it was submitted to the Kerala government.
Following this the government appointed an SIT to probe the allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema. The SIT is set to take further legal action based on the findings of the Hema Committee report.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
