The anticipatory bail was granted after the state government submitted before the court that there were no circumstances for arrest as of now.
Suresh Gopi. (TheSureshGopi/ X)
The Kerala High Court on Monday, 8 January, granted anticipatory bail to actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly misbehaving with a woman journalist during a media interaction in October last.
Justice Sophy Thomas directed the police to grant him bail in case he was arrested.
The anticipatory bail was granted after the state government submitted before the court that there were no circumstances for arrest as of now.
He appeared before the Kozhikode police on 15 November last to record his statement in the case.
The former BJP Rajya Sabha member landed in trouble after a video surfaced online in which he was seen placing his hand on the shoulder of the journalist from MediaOne Malayalam news channel, who tried to shrug him away twice.
Based on her complaint, the Nadakkavu Police in Kozhikode on 28 October, registered the case against Gopi. She lodged the complaint along with the purported video of the incident with the city police commissioner, who, in turn, handed it over to the local police station for further action.
The woman journalist also took up the issue with the Kerala Women’s Commission, which sought a report from the district police chief.
“A case was registered against Suresh Gopi under IPC 354,” a police officer told PTI.
Section 354 of the IPC deals with assault or use of criminal force against any woman, intending to outrage her modesty.
Facing intense criticism from various quarters, the Kaliyattam actor tendered an apology, saying he treated her with affection.
Gopi said he had never been disrespectful to anyone in his life on or off the stage and apologised to her if she had suffered any mental agony due to his behaviour.
The actor said he had treated the woman journalist affectionately in the presence of other media persons.
“But, in my opinion, whatever she feels about it should be respected. I tender an apology if she felt bad or suffered any mental stress anyway… Sorry,” Gopi, also a national award-winning actor, said in a Facebook post.
Despite his apology, criticism from various quarters pointed out that his behaviour had been inappropriate.
However, how he behaved with another woman journalist in Thrissur a few days later and continued to evoke resentment among non-BJP circles.
This incident took place at Thrissur’s Girija theatre at a special screening for women of Gopi-starrer Garudan, and the actor was the chief guest.
Several women — mostly followers of right-wing ideology — jostled among themselves to have selfies with the actor, with his hand on their shoulders.
The gesture was symbolic, as the charges in the Kozhikode case revolved around his repeated attempts to rest his arm on the shoulder of the woman journalist who tried to interview him on 27 October.
(With PTI inputs)
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