Kerala MLA M Mukesh arrested in Malayalam cinema MeToo row, to be released

CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh has been arrested by the Kerala police in the latest wave of MeToo cases that have swept the Mollywood industry. A former actress had accused the actor-politician of rape, based on which a case has been registered against him. However, he will be released as he has been granted anticipatory bail by the court.

Mukesh has been charged with non-bailable offences including rape and using violence against women with intent to outrage her modesty.

There were also strong voices calling for the MLA to resign, but he remained stubborn, claiming that the allegations came after he refused to give in to her attempts to blackmail him.

During the MeToo wave, several women came forward to speak out about the sexual abuse they faced at the hands of celebrities from the Malayalam industry.

In the report of the Hema Justice Committee, which was made public last month, the names of several actors and directors are mentioned in connection with disturbing stories of sexual harassment and exploitation.

The Kerala government subsequently appointed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations.

The SIT arrested Mukesh after interrogating him on Tuesday. He was granted interim bail by the Ernakulam principal sessions court earlier this month.

Police are reportedly gearing up to arrest another film personality, Siddique, in a rape case filed by a former actress. The actor’s plea for anticipatory bail has been rejected by the Kerala High Court. A circular has been issued as police try to trace Siddique’s whereabouts.

The actress alleged that Siddique forced her to provide sexual favours in exchange for a role in a Tamil film in 2016. When she refused, he raped her at a state-run hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, she alleged in her complaint.

Siddique denies the allegations and claims that the complainant has been making baseless allegations against him since 2016.