Kollam MLA and actor Mukesh was arrested and immediately released on bail in connection with a sexual assault complaint filed by a junior artist on September 24, Tuesday. Mukesh, accompanied by his lawyer, appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Ernakulam, where he was questioned for three hours. After registering his arrest, he was taken for medical check up in his own vehicle.
Earlier on September 5, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had granted him anticipatory bail on the condition that he present himself to the investigating officer at 9 am on any day and stay for as long as necessary to complete the investigation's procedural formalities.
Mukesh was booked by Maradu police on August 29 for the alleged rape of a woman actor. He was accused of sexual harassment by an actor on August 26, six years after casting director Tess Joseph named him in a Me-Too allegation that went unheard. The allegation came in the wake of the release of the Hema Committee report, which shed light on the rampant prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse of power in the Malayalam film industry.
Mukesh, however, dismissed the allegations, claiming that they were part of efforts to “blackmail” him. In a statement, he said that he would take strong legal action against those trying to “ruin his life by creating a smokescreen of allegations.”