Popular Malayalam actor and CPI(M) MLA Mukesh, against whom a case of sexual misconduct was filed in the wake of the #MeToo movement in Mollywood, was, on Tuesday, arrested by the special investigation team probing the case.
The FIR against the actor-politician has been registered at Maradu Police Station under IPC Section 376 (rape), a non-bailable offence.
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The actor, who was previously granted anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on condition that he would appear before the investigating officer on any day, appeared before AIG G. Poonkuzhali along with his lawyer.
Mukesh was questioned by the police for three hours before he was released on bail.
The actor refused to answer questions posed to him by the media after his arrest and subsequent release.
The charges against Mukesh include sexually harassing an actor after promising her a role in a movie and membership in the now-disbanded Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Mukesh is accused of sexually assaulting the woman at his villa in Maradu of Ernakulam and at a shooting location in Ottapalam of Palakkad district.
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Ever since the scandal broke, the actor has withdrawn from public appearances.
The allegations against Mukesh and several other prominent personalities in Mollywood came in the wake of the release of the report of the Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case.
