Harassment case: Absconding BJP leader likely to seek anticipatory bail

A senior police official confirmed that the actor was not at his Mylapore residence after the cybercrime wing of Central Crime Branch (CCB) booked him under four sections, including Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. He was last seen in a video, apologising for the statement, in a moving car. “He could have recorded the video while moving out to an unknown place,” said the official.

 Meanwhile sources said that a senior counsel, who has handled sensational cases, has been appointed to seek anticipatory bail for S Ve Shekher, which will be applied on Monday. S Ve Shekher has also been booked under are 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505(1)(c) (intent to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Meanwhile, S Ve Shekher is said to be in Bengaluru for personal work and he would return to Chennai in three days. 

Police took action on a complaint filed by A Midhar Maideen, State General Secretary, Tamilnadu Journalists Welfare Association, Valasaravakkam, in which he stated that S Ve Shekher’s remarks against women journalist has been done with the intention of mocking one of the four pillars of the democracy, media.

It all started with journalist Lakshmi Subramanian’s objection to Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s act of patting in her cheek a few days ago during a press meet in connection with the professor Nirmala Devi row at the Raj Bhavan. While she later partly accepted the Governor’s apology, S Ve Shekher posted a statement on Facebook in support of the Governor. The post, which Shekhar deleted later, claimed that woman journalists can’t survive in the industry without compromising with their superiors. 

The screenshot of the same went viral, resulting in outrage of journalists against him. While he tendered a written apology claiming that the views are not his, several journalists insisted that he should be arrested.