Kerala court grants anticipatory bail to Malayalam writer Civic Chandran in sexual harassment case

In granting the bail, the court accepted Chandran’s arguments that he is aged and unable to walk without a cane.

Further, it noted that the complainant in the first case had approved the findings — that a few acts of the accused created the impression of making sexual advances but were not actually intended — of the internal body of an organisation with which she and Chandran were associated.

The alleged sexual harassment came to light after the survivor shared her trauma on a Facebook page — Women Against Sexual Harassment.

The Facebook post shared on 22 July said that she met Chandran for the first time at a gathering. Chandran grabbed her hand and attempted to harass her at the beach.

Another woman writer last month lodged a complaint against Chandran for sexually abusing her in 2019 at a secluded area near Kozhikode beach.

The Kerala Police have not been able to arrest Chandran, as he had been absconding since the first complaint was lodged against him.

Chandran is a playwright, poet and social activist. He is best known for his plays, Ningalare Communistakki, Kurisuyudham Thudangunnavar, and Thamrapathrangal.