The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday granted bail to former Minister A.K. Saseendran, who is facing the prospect of a trial in a private complaint that he had outraged the modesty of a woman journalist.
The alleged affront occurred at the Minister’s official residence in 2016. At the time, the complainant was on the payroll of a private television channel that had sensationally broadcast a questionable audio sex tape, which targeted the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and eventually cost him his Cabinet seat.
Several flip-flops on the part of the complainant have marked the case against Mr. Saseendran. The journalist initially deposed before the CJM that Mr. Saseendran had attempted to engage her in a sordid and sexually explicit conversation when she called on him at his official residence to pursue a story on the state of she-toilets in bus terminals. She accused him of sexual harassment, stalking and insulting the modesty of women under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The CJM opened an inquiry on his own into the incident under Section 202 of the Cr.PC. He also questioned three persons the complainant had cited as witnesses. The court deemed that there appeared to be sufficient ground to issue summons to the accused. However, before the process could begin the complaint sought the court's sanction to withdraw her accusation.
Dispute 'personal'
Subsequently, she moved the High Court stating that her dispute with the Minister was personal and had been settled amicably. There was no public interest at stake in the case.
Political circles in the State viewed her action as one which would ultimately pave the way for Mr. Saseendran’s return to the Cabinet. However, for reasons which are obscure, the complainant withdrew her petition at the last minute.
The development prompted the CJM, Thiruvananthapuram, to issue summons to the accused in the case. The court was scheduled to read the charge against Mr. Saseendran on March 17.
If Mr. Saseendran denies the accusation against him, the court would try him. If he admitted to the alleged felony, the former Minister could face up to three years in prison.
