Rahul Easwar seeks pre-arrest bail from Kerala High Court

Activist Rahul Easwar on Sunday sought anticipatory bail from Kerala High Court, apprehending arrest on allegations of cyber harassment by a woman actor who had recently filed a complaint against Boby Chemmannur alleging that he made sexually coloured remarks about her on social media.

No case had been registered against Mr. Easwar so far, although the actor lodged a complaint against him with the Ernakulam Central police. Mr. Easwar is learnt to have sought anticipatory bail on the concern that he might be included as a co-accused in the case registered against Mr. Chemmannur, who was arrested and remanded.

In his petition, Mr. Easwar termed that his remarks were constructive criticism, did not contain slanderous language, and that his right to criticise the actor was protected under fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. He added that his comments were solely focused on her choice of attire, which he argued could attract attention, particularly from the younger generation. Mr. Easwar further contended that he had specifically stated through news channel discussions that Mr. Chemmannur should apologise to the actor for his remarks.