Thiruvananthapuram: Noted Malayalam director and former MLA P T Kunju Muhammad was arrested in connection with a molestation case involving a woman from the film industry, PTI reported.
Kunju, who had approached a Kochi court on December 20 seeking anticipatory bail in the case, was released on bail after his arrest was formally recorded at Cantonment police station.
The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea, citing that the allegations were serious in nature and that bail could affect the investigation. However, Additional District and Sessions Judge Rekha R granted Kunju relief after hearing both arguments.
Cantonment Police registered a case against Kunju earlier this month based on a complaint by a woman alleging that the filmmaker had molested her. She claimed the incident took place at a hotel where they were staying to select films for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
Kunju’s counsel said the allegations were false and pointed out that the complaint was initially submitted to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, rather than the police.
The court directed the filmmaker to appear before the investigating officer for interrogation within seven days and to cooperate with the probe. The police were instructed to release the filmmaker- on bail if he was arrested during the investigation.
Kunju a director and producer in Malayalam film industry, debuted with the 1993 film ‘Magrib’ starring Sreenivasan. Kunju helmed critically-acclaimed films like ‘Garshom’ (1998), ‘Paradeshi’ (2007) with Mohanlal, and ‘Veeraputhran’ (2011).
Muhammad, a prominent figure in the regional cinema industry as both a director and producer, previously served as a Left-supported independent Member of legislative assembly
One of the founding directors of Kairali TV, Kunju was elected twice to the Kerala Assembly as a Left-supported Independent candidate, in 1994 and 1996.
