KOCHI: Actor-producer Vijay Babu was arrested by the Kerala police today in the rape case involving a Malayalam actress. Ernakulam South Police recorded the arrest when he appeared before the officers for interrogation.
Earlier, the Kerala High Court had granted anticipatory bail to him and directed the petitioner to surrender before the investigating officer on June 27 at 9 am for interrogation.
Police said Vijay Babu will be released on bail as per the direction of the court but only after collecting evidence from the hotels and flats where the alleged crime occurred as per the complaint.
The police registered two cases against him, one for the sexual assault, and another for disclosing the identity of the complainant through social media.
The High Court had directed that Vijay Babu can be interrogated for the next seven days --- from June 27 till July 3, between 9 am to 6 pm every day, if required. The court also stated that if the arrest is recorded, then he should be released on bail after executing a bond for Rs 5 lakh.
The petitioner should appear before the investigating officer as and when he is summoned, the court said. It also said that he should not contact or interact with the victim or any of the witnesses, nor should he indulge in any form of attack through social media against the victim or her family. He shall not leave Kerala without prior permission of the court, it directed.
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The Association for Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) invited wrath after it extended support to Vijay Babu, saying any action would be taken only after the court's verdict. He attended the executive committee meeting of the body which was held in Kochi on on June 26.
The court had granted him interim protection from arrest on May 31 and since then it was being extended from time to time.
In his plea, Babu had alleged that the rape case has been filed against him to blackmail him.
He has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a female actor and disclosing the victim's identity through a Facebook live session.
The producer-actor had also alleged in his plea, that there is a "trend" of making sexual allegations against anybody to tarnish the image of a person, who is having popularity in society and for the sake of publicity.
Babu had claimed that he was innocent and was "highly aggrieved" by the one-sided approach of the authorities to make him a "scapegoat for the purpose of news and the media".
The woman, who appeared in movies produced by Babu's production house, lodged a complaint with the police on April 22 and detailed through a Facebook post the physical assault and sexual exploitation she had allegedly suffered at the hands of the producer-actor for the past one-and-half months.
The woman's lawyer, opposing Babu's plea, had argued before the court that the actor-producer had allegedly "misused and abused the trust reposed on him by her".
It was also argued on her behalf that being a novice artist, her objections were easily subdued and that she was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual assaults by him.
(With PTI inputs)