Actor-legislator Mukesh and Edavela Babu, former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), who was arraigned as accused in sexual harassment cases, were given anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.
Honey M. Varghese, District and Sessions Judge, Ernakulam, issued the order on Thursday.
Mukesh is a member of the Legislative Assembly, and there is no chance of him fleeing from the clutches of law. The alleged incident happened in 2010. Hence, the court said in its order while allowing the pre-arrest bail that there is no question of the collection of immediate evidence and the need to keep Mukesh behind bars.
Mukesh had moved the court against the complaint filed by a female actor with the Maradu Police in Ernakulam district. He argued that the case was fabricated and aimed at blackmailing him.
The sexual allegations in the aftermath of the release of the Hema Committee report have stirred a hornet’s nest in the Malayalam film industry. The rape charges were pressed on actors Mukesh, Edavela Babu, Siddique, Baburaj and film director Ranjit.
The related developments in the industry have also led to the dissolution of the actors’ body Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).
The Hema Committee, in its report, has pointed out a litany of ills plaguing Mollywood, including sexual abuse and the presence of a `casting couch’, rampant exploitation of junior artists, dancers, hairdressers and others and inhuman working conditions with shooting sites, often not having toilets and changing rooms for women. It also revealed that other than actors, the others working in the films were often denied contracts and were employed through an agent. This caused delayed or reduced payment or, in several cases, non-payment of wages.