Kerala HC asks police not to arrest Vijay Babu till Thursday

KOCHI: In major relief for actor producer Vijay Babu, who is accused of rape by an actress and presently on the run, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the police not to arrest him till Thursday, when his bail plea will be considered again.

The court was informed by Vijay Babu's counsel that he will be arriving from Dubai on Wednesday.

The court also chided the police and the prosecution, saying that he might be a star for some, but for the court, he is an ordinary person and that the police is trying to stage a drama for the media by arresting him as soon as he arrives from Dubai.

It said as soon as he arrives from abroad, he should present himself to the police probe team, but should not be arrested till Thursday.

The Kerala Police has been trying their best to bring back Vijay Babu, who slipped out of the country last month to Dubai and from there - after the police began steps to issue a red corner notice - headed for Georgia and according to those in the know of things, he, will have to touch base at Dubai, before he lands in Kochi.

The actor-producer was on the run after the actress from Kozhikode filed a complaint in Ernakulam on April 22 that she was raped and beaten up by him several times in a flat in Kochi.

She has also accused him of giving her intoxicants before sexually abusing her.

Soon after the news surfaced, Vijay Babu appeared live on his social media handle claiming that he was the "real victim" in this case, adding that he would take appropriate legal steps against the complainant whom he also named.

The police, apart from the initial complaint, have registered a second case against him for disclosing the name of the complainant.

The court also on Tuesday asked the prosecution if they were able to see the chat messages exchanged between Vijay Babu and the actress, but noted that it is not going into the merits of the case.

Now all eyes are on what will happen on Thursday when the court hears his petition again.

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