Ernakulam: Director V K Prakash on Wednesday approached the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail after a woman scriptwriter filed a complaint of sexual abuse against him. “That woman was accused in a previous honey trap case. And I have filed a plaint with DGP and the probe team citing this,” Prakash said in his bail plea.

On Monday, a scriptwriter, a native of Eranakulam, claimed that Prakash sexually assaulted her after inviting her to a hotel in Kollam to discuss a film project. The alleged incident happened on April 4, 2022. She said that the director made unwanted advances, including attempting to kiss her and push her onto the bed. She added that he also sent her Rs 10,000 as a bribe to keep the incident under wraps.

This was the first instance of seeking anticipatory bail after widespread stories of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry surfaced following the recent release of the Justice Hema Commission report.