Kerala HC quashes case against Bhasi on misbehaving with female

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday quashed the criminal case against actor Sreenath Bhasi who was charged for allegedly verbally abusing with the anchor of a YouTube channel.

The court held that the dispute in the case is purely personal in nature and no public interest or harmony will be adversely affected by quashing the proceedings.

Earlier the police arrested Sreenath Bhasi for verbally abusing a female anchor in an interview given to a youtube channel. Maradu police in Kochi arrested him and later released him on bail on September 26.

A case was filed under IPC 509, 354(A), and 294 against the actor. The anchor had filed a complaint with the state women's commission earlier.

It is alleged that a video shows Sreenath lashing out at the interviewer/anchor after they tell him to rank his co-star based on their 'rowdiness.' While the interviewer/anchor asked the question in a lighthearted manner, given that the film's title is 'Chattambi', which means 'rowdy', the question wasn't liked by Sreenath. He asked the journalists if they have no intention of getting better at their jobs. He shouted, "I'm pissed off right now" and also used the F-word.

Earlier, the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) had temporarily banned Malayalam actor Sreenath Bhasi from movies over allegations against him of misbehaving with a female anchor during an interview he gave to a Youtube channel.

Producers Association stated, "Currently, the remaining dubbing and shooting will be allowed to be completed. He will not be allowed to act in films after that temporarily. Four dubbing and one film shoot will be allowed to be completed. He will refund the amount bought in excess of the contract. If we receive a complaint related to the film sector, we will take action in the best possible way."