Thiruvananthapuram: Kollam MLA and Malayalam actor M Mukesh, booked by Kerala police for rape and assault, was granted a reprieve on Thursday as District and Sessions Court Ernakulam stayed his arrest for five days.
The court will consider his anticipatory bail plea on September 2, amidst escalating protests by the opposition Congress. Mukesh has contended that the actress who accused him of sexual harassment had attempted to blackmail him. Nevertheless, the police have filed a case based solely on the statement provided by the complainant.
Maradu police in Ernakulam had slapped non-bailable charges including rape, against the CPM MLA following the complaint filed by the actress in Kochi. She accused Mukesh of sexually assaulting her at a private hotel in Maradu.
The Malayalam actor was charged under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and 454 (trespassing).
The actor’s counsel stated that they would cooperate with the investigation, as the circumstances did not justify an immediate arrest for an incident that allegedly occurred 15 years ago.
Mukesh could not appear in the court in person to furnish the evidence because of the protests. There is a clear attempt to blackmail the actor and the evidence including electronic mail and WhatsApp chats to this effect have been submitted in the court.
The counsel said the actor is a public personality and had not gone into hiding.
Mukesh reportedly explained to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday concerning the allegations against him by the actress. He described the allegations as unfounded and claimed that the complainant was blackmailing him.
He allegedly informed the chief minister that he would provide evidence, such as WhatsApp conversations, to substantiate his accusation of blackmail against the complainant.
Meanwhile, the CPM appears to be facing more pressure from its principal ally, the CPI, than from the opposition Congress, with the party urging Mukesh to take a call given the serious sexual harassment allegations. While the state leadership has not formally demanded the actor’s resignation, CPI veteran leader Annie Raja has called for him to step down.
The majority of party leaders believe that the government’s stance will become indefensible, and its stand on women safety will come under the scanner. CPI leaders, including the party’s state secretary Benoy Viswam, have urged the CPM and Mukesh to decide on his resignation. It has been reported that the CPI leader discussed the issue with the top CPM leadership in Kerala.
LDF Convenor and CPM Central Committee member E P Jayarajan challenged the opposition Congress’s call for Mukesh’s resignation, pointing out that Congress MLAs did not resign when faced with similar allegations.
He stated that the LDF government had made a historic move to protect women by forming a high-level police team and filing cases against prominent film personalities, regardless of their status in the industry.
The government has stated that appropriate action will be taken against the accused if victims or survivors file complaints.
The CPM leadership has decided not to press for Mukesh’s resignation for now. However, the actor will be excluded from the high-level panel constituted for framing the Kerala government’s film policy.
SIT collects evidence against actor Siddique
Meanwhile, the special investigation team has gathered evidence related to the complaint filed by a young actress against actor Siddique. The police secured significant evidence against Siddique during a search at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to the evidence collected on Thursday, Siddique and the complainant stayed at Mascot Hotel during the same time in 2016.
The police secured a hotel register as evidence confirming Siddique’s stay at the Mascot Hotel on the date cited by the complainant. Siddique was registered at the Mascot Hotel on January 28, 2016, coinciding with the film preview held that day. The allegation against Siddique is that she was summoned to the hotel on the preview day and was assaulted.
In her complaint, the young actress alleged that Siddique raped her in 2016 at the Mascot hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. According to the complainant, she met her when she came for a preview of one of Siddique’s films at Nila theatre, after which she was called to the hotel for a movie discussion and raped.
The Museum police had registered a case against Siddique for rape under sections 376 and 506 of the IPC. A team led by Cantonment AC reached the hotel and collected evidence. The investigating team is collecting more evidence to prove that the complainant too had reached the hotel.
Siddique had stepped down as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following sexual assault charges.
Opposition Congress protest
Congress workers organised protests in front of Mukesh’s house in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam demanding the resignation of the legislator in the wake of the rape and assault case. Opposition leader V D Satheeshan said the CPM should immediately seek the resignation of its MLA.