MeeToo Accused Malayalam Actors Mukesh, Edavela Babu Get Anticipatory Bail

Following the release of the Justice K Hema Committee Report, which revealed pervasive sexual assault and discrimination, the females have levelled grave accusations against several people during the Malayalam film industry. A court in Kochi, Kerala, on Thursday night, granted anticipatory bail to actor and two-time CPI-M legislator Mukesh, as well as former general secretary Edavela Babu of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes. Both had been arrested by police on charges of sexual assault by a former female actor.

They were booked lower than Sections 354 (assaulting or employing criminal force against a girl with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (insulting a girl’s modesty with words, noises, gestures, or objects) of the Indian Penal Code. Mukesh became given anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court last week, to boot to receiving temporary reprieve from arrest until its final orders. Similarly, Babu became granted bail.

Hema Committee Report

The Malayalam film industry has been experiencing turmoil since the release of the damning report by the Justice K. Hema Committee on August 19. The committee looked into the working conditions of females during the industry and revealed shocking information that resulted in a wave of complaints against prominent actors.

Kerala Police ought to this point registered FIRs against eleven people, ten of which are from the film industry in keeping with the complaints from female actors. Folks who're during the dock after the police registered FIRs, encompass actors Mukesh, Nivin Pauly, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and V.K. Prakash, and production executives Vichu and Noble. Actor Baburaj and director Tulasidas have been named in complaints too, but no FIRs have been registered against them to this point.

Meanwhile, the special investigation team of seven police officials, of which four are woman IPS officers, are currently taking statements from those victims who've come forward with their complaints but are yet to impeach the accused.

In a related development on Thursday, the Kerala High Court’s acting Chief Justice A.Muhamed Mustaque ordered the formation of a special two-member bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and C.S. Sudha to appear into all cases so that they may perhaps o.k. be registered in keeping with Hema Committee report.

Meanwhile, the powerful Producers Association, in its first reaction to the explosive report, on Thursday expressed its concern about how ‘fake allegations are coming.’ The association said, “The stage is such that with the Hema Committee report coming out, anyone can make any allegations and not augur well for the civil society and hence, the state government should take into consideration of this. Your entire purpose of the Hema Committee also may take a beating.”

(With IANS inputs)