Kochi: Businessman Boby Chemmanur, who was granted bail in the sexual harassment case filed by Honey Rose, cut short his dramatic display of solidarity for remand prisoners and walked out of Kakkanad district jail on Wednesday. Although the High Court issued bail on Tuesday, Chemmanur surprised everyone by choosing to remain inside jail, reportedly in a move to support remand prisoners who faced hurdles in securing bail. His act did not go down well with the HC, though.

"Stop playing drama," the High Court rapped Chemmanur's counsel on Wednesday after he chose to remain in custody after being granted bail on Tuesday. The court warned that it would annul his bail if necessary. While pointing out that the bail order was published on the HC website by 4.08 pm on Tuesday, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan demanded an explanation on the matter on Wednesday.  The judge also remarked, “The court is here to address issues faced by prisoners. Who is Boby Chemmanur to look after the welfare of remand prisoners?”

 Chemmanur on Tuesday conveyed his protest to his legal team, stating that he would not leave prison until the issue of other remand prisoners is addressed. He had been in judicial custody for six days.

"I felt like I should arrange money for the people who could not walk out of jail as they didn't have enough money," Chemmanur said, dismissing allegations that it was a contempt of court order.

Reports suggest that even though his lawyers arrived at the Kakkanad district jail with the bail order, Chemmanur was unwilling to cooperate. The High Court issued the bail order at 3.30 pm on Tuesday, following which his legal team approached the jail. However, they reportedly did not move in as Chemmanur informed them that he would not sign the bond as required by the bail conditions.

Jail authorities have indicated that the release order could not be processed due to a lapse in the stipulated timeframe. Prosecutors are expected to inform the High Court of Chemmanur’s actions on Wednesday.

The Kerala High Court had earlier admonished Chemmanur for public statements that could potentially harm others, advising him to exercise caution. During the hearing, the court reviewed visuals of his statements and granted bail after police confirmed that his continued custody was unnecessary.

The case stems from allegations made by popular Malayalam actor Honey Rose, who accused Chemmanur of using sexually coloured remarks aimed at her during an incident four months ago. Rose disclosed the matter on social media, prompting a surge of cyberattacks against her. She later lodged a police complaint, which led to Chemmanur’s arrest on January 8 at his Wayanad resort. The incident has since seen authorities arrest nearly two dozen individuals involved in online abuse directed at Rose.