POCSO case: Supreme Court stays arrest of actor Koottickal Jayachandran

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court stayed the arrest of actor Koottickal Jayachandran in the case of allegedly molesting his close relative's four-year-old daughter. The Supreme Court in a notice to the state government, asked them to not arrest the actor until his anticipatory bail petition gets settled. A bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna heard the petition.

The high court had earlier rejected the actor's bail plea in the case. The actor's lawyers argued that the POCSO case and the complaint were triggered by a family dispute. The actor informed the apex court that he would cooperate with the police investigation.

The alleged incident took place last year while Kasaba police also registered a case in this regard. The child’s parents are separated and the abuse is said to have happened when the girl was staying at her mother’s house. The girl told the details of torture to her grandmother when she came to attend her father’s final rites. The statement was repeated to the psychologist and the magistrate. A medical examination revealed injuries that were suspected of torture. A case was registered on the complaint of the child's mother.

The girl’s relative had recently filed a complaint with the state police chief and the commissioner stating that proper action was delayed against Koottickal Jayachandran. In the complaint, it was revealed that the family of the girl received death threats and the girl is currently not attending school in fear of any attack. The complaint also mentioned the chances of the actor attempting to flee abroad.