Men also have right to dignity: Kerala High Court grants anticipatory bail to Balachandra Menon

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor and filmmaker Balachandra Menon in a case involving allegations that he committed sexual assault in 2007 [Balachandra Menon v State of Kerala & ors]..While granting the filmmaker relief today, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan also observed that men too have a right to dignity. "Remember that right and dignity is not only to women, but to man also," he said. .The Court noted that the complaint in this case came nearly 17 years after the alleged incident, which cast doubt on its credibility. It opined that this prolonged delay in filing the complaint was sufficient to grant anticipatory bail in this case. "It is an admitted fact that the victim filed the complaint after 17 years of the alleged incident. It is also admitted that the petitioner is a known cine personality and a Padma Shri awardee. Based on a statement of a lady, that too after 17 years, this case has been registered," it observed, before allowing Menon's anticipatory bail plea..Menon is one among several prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry accused of sexual misconduct following the public release of the Justice K Hema Committee Report on the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry.Its public release indicated that there was widespread sexual abuse in Mollywood and prompted numerous women to come forward with allegations against industry veterans..The case against Menon has been registered at the Cantonment Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram. The complainant has alleged that during the filming of Menon’s movie De Ingottu Nokkiye in 2007, he sexually assaulted her by hugging her, pressing her breasts, and engaging in inappropriate conduct involving bodily fluids.Based on these allegations, a criminal case was registered under Sections 354, 509, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, the victim’s statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)..Menon denied the allegations against him. During arguments for anticipatory bail, Menon's counsel contended that the complaint was baseless and motivated by malice. He argued that the victim had filed the case after 17 years solely to tarnish Menon’s reputation. Apart from highlighting Menon's stature as a Padma Shri awardee and a respected figure in Malayalam cinema, the counsel added that Menon had received threatening calls from the complainant and her lawyer. Menon says that he had also alerted the authorities about such alleged attempts to blackmail and harass him.A case has been registered as well on his complaint for criminal intimidation under Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Information Technology Act.Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor opposed Menon's pre-arrest bail application, arguing that the allegations against him were grave and warranted a detailed investigation..Senior counsel M Ramesh Chander along with advocates Govind G Nair, Bejoy Joseph PJ, Nair, Balu Tom, and Bonny Benny represented Balachandra Menon.