Right to dignity not exclusive to women: Kerala HC grants anticipatory bail to Balachandra Menon
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, while granting the relief, underscored the principle that men, too, have the right to dignity.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, while granting the relief, underscored the principle that men, too, have the right to dignity.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, while granting the relief, underscored the principle that men, too, have the right to dignity.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to veteran Malayalam actor and filmmaker Balachandra Menon in a sexual assault case filed 17 years after the alleged incident. The case came to light following the publication of the Justice Hema Committee Report on issues in the Malayalam film industry.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, while granting the relief, underscored the principle that men, too, have the right to dignity. “It is an admitted fact that the alleged incident occurred in 2007, and the complaint was filed only after 17 years. The petitioner is a renowned cine artist, director, and scriptwriter, recipient of two national awards, and a Padma Shri awardee. Registering a case based on a statement made after such a long delay raises serious concerns," the judge remarked during the open court session.
Justice Kunhikrishnan further stated, “The right to dignity is not exclusive to women; men also possess it. In the interest of justice, this is a fit case to grant anticipatory bail.”
The actor had argued that the complaint was fabricated to tarnish his reputation. His legal team, led by Senior Advocate M Ramesh Chander and supported by advocates Bejoy Joseph PJ, Govind G Nair, Balu Tom and Bonny Benny, highlighted the lack of a plausible explanation for the delay in filing the FIR. Earlier, the court had granted Menon interim bail, noting the inordinate delay in lodging the complaint for an alleged incident that reportedly occurred in 2007.