The chargesheet filed at the Ernakulam judicial magistrate court claims that there is digital evidence against Mukesh in the case.
The Kerala High Court granted anticipatory bail to veteran actor-cum-director Balachandra Menon in a case accusing him of outraging the modesty of a female actor in 2007 during a film shoot. The court said that men too have "pride and dignity" and not just women. The case was lodged in September this year after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case.
A rape case has been registered against Malayalam actor Sidhique following a female actor's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2016, the police said on Wednesday.
The new administrative panel would be elected within two months after convening a general body meeting, it said.
On a day a sexual abuse case was registered against actor Siddique based on a complaint by a woman actor, the Left government appears to have adopted a cautious approach in the case of MLA Mukesh, with two ministers indicating that further action hinges on the findings of the probe by the special police team.
'While some women allow themselves to be exploited so that they can climb up the ladder, there are many voiceless and silent people who get exploited by men in powerful positions.'
Throwing its weight behind actor-cum-MLA M Mukesh, the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist in Kerala on Saturday said that he need not resign from his post as legislator merely because a rape case has been registered against him.
The chief minister's office said the special team will be headed by IG Sparjan Kumar and will include four senior women IPS officers of the state.
A second case for a sexual offence has been registered against director Ranjith on a complaint by a male actor in Kozhikode, police said on Saturday.
'Abuse, asking for sexual favours, and expecting women to compromise to gain a foothold or accelerate their careers exist in every field. Why is a woman alone expected to go through the grind?'
The actor-politician however, said they should not try to destroy such a huge industry like cinema.
He said that the police were vigorously investigating the complaints of sexual harassment and abuse raised by several women, so let the agency carry on with its probe honestly.
As pressure mounted, the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front seemed to be supporting Mukesh, taking a cautious wait-and-watch stance.
Ranjith has reportedly rejected Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra's charge and said he was the "real victim" in the case.
Separate cases have been registered in Kerala against popular Malayalam actors Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju following an allegation raised by a female actor that they had sexually assaulted her, police said on Thursday. Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report. In a Facebook post, the woman actor had said, 'I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of 1 Mukesh 2 Maniyan Pilla Raju, 3 Idavela Babu, 4 Jayasoorya (Jayasurya), 5 adv Chandrasekaran, 6 production controller Noble and Vichu, in the Malayalam film industry.'
South Indian actress Radhika Sarathkumar on Saturday made a startling claim that objectionable videos of female actors were recorded with hidden cameras inside caravans on the shooting set of a Malayalam film and she had personally witnessed male actors watching it on their mobile phones.
'I had sought help but did not receive any support. Nobody was there.'
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on September 30 the plea of Malayalam film actor Sidhique challenging the Kerala high court order denying him anticipatory bail in a rape case.
Top actor Mohanlal on Saturday broke his silence over the shocking revelations in the Justice Hema Committee report which has shaken the Malayalam film industry, and said the entire industry is answerable to the questions raised but the actors' association is targeted and blamed for everything.
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notices to the Kerala government and the victim in the case and sought their replies within two weeks.
The fallout from the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry intensified on Monday as a case was filed against well-known filmmaker Ranjith, and several female actors stepped forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.
Even as political pressure was building against Ranjith, actor Siddique quit as the general secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) amid voices from within his fraternity seeking his resignation.
The much-awaited report of the Justice Hema Committee, the government-appointed panel in 2019 that studied issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, comprises explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment being faced by women.
Nothing is going to change in a hurry unless attitudes change and punishments are speedy and fair, notes Ramesh Menon.
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