A local court in Kochi on Thursday granted interim relief from arrest to actor-politician K Mukesh, who is facing rape allegations. The court directed the police not to arrest him until September 3.
Mukesh, a CPI(M) legislator from Kollam, sought anticipatory bail after Kerala police registered a rape case against him on August 28, following allegations by a female actor claiming that he sexually assaulted her in 2010.
The Principal Sessions Court noted that the likelihood of Mukesh fleeing is low and ordered that he should not be arrested until the specified date. In his bail plea, Mukesh argued that the accusations were made with malicious intent to damage his political and film career.
This development comes amid calls from the opposition for Mukesh to resign as a legislator. Mukesh, along with other prominent Malayalam cinema figures, has been accused of sexual assault following the release of findings by the Justice K Hema Committee, which highlighted abuse and exploitation of women in the industry.
