Kochi: In a significant ruling, the Kerala High Court forbade the police from arresting film personality Vijay Babu over the sexual assault case soon after he returns from the UAE.
Vijay Babu should not be arrested until June 2, the court ordered in response to his anticipatory bail plea.
The actor-film producer had reportedly delayed his arrival from Dubai as he awaited the HC verdict on his plea.
The matter was considered by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas.
The court said that it was inclined to grant the actor an interim pre-arrest bail for 2-3 days as he would remain abroad if it did not consider his request.
The court also asked the probe team why they failed to arrest the actor from April 22 till date.
Vijay Babu, who is currently in Dubai, is expected to land in Kerala on Wednesday. He has reportedly booked a ticket on a Dubai-Kochi flight. He had earlier booked a ticket for Monday, but cancelled it later fearing arrest at the airport.
A few days ago, the court had agreed to the hearing as his lawyers had submitted the Monday's flight ticket.
The survivor, too, had earlier requested the court to not grant him bail, as he had tried to escape the law, a stand that the police had also taken.
Vijay has claimed he hasn't assaulted the complainant and the case was fabricated as she wasn't given roles in his films, and he is said to have submitted WhatsApp chats as proof for the same, in court.
It's after the police cancelled his passport and decided to seize his property that Vijay Babu flew from Georgia to Dubai, to travel back to India. Apparently, he chose against travelling on Monday as flying after the court's directive would ensure a certain level of protection.
