The Kerala Police has booked Malayalam actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA M Mukesh for rape based on a complaint by an actor, PTI reported on Thursday.

A first information report was registered against Mukesh by the Maradu Police under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to rape (376), assault or criminal force to women with the intent to outrage modesty (354) and insult to the modesty of a woman by word, sound, gesture or object (509).

An actor on Monday levelled allegations of sexual misconduct, and physical and verbal assault against several co-actors and technicians in the Malayalam film industry, including Mukesh.

Beside Mukesh, the Kerala Police booked five others based on the complaint against seven persons, The Hindu reported.

The allegations came following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.

Actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists Edavela Babu and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s ex-legal aid chief VS Chandrasekharan have been booked in the matter.

Maniyanpilla Raju, an actor and former office-bearer of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and production controller Noble have been booked for criminal force or assault against a woman with the intention of outraging the modesty and insulting a woman’s modesty by uttering words, making sounds or gestures, the newspaper reported.

A first information report was also registered against a production controller, identified as Vichu, who was one of the accused persons named by the complainant.

The complainant alleged that Mukesh harassed her on multiple occasions several years ago, but she did not file a complaint because she was a newcomer in the film industry and was scared, reported The News Minute.

Separately, Malayalam actor Jayasurya was also booked for allegedly sexually harassing a female artist in the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on the sets of the film De Ingottu Nokkiye in 2008, reported The Hindu.

Jayasurya has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to outraging the modesty of women, sexual harassment and words, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

In a separate case, senior actor Siddique has also been booked for allegedly raping a young actor. The actor accused Siddique of raping her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.

Mukesh gets protection from arrest

Hours after the first information report was registered against Mukesh, a court in Ernakulam on Thursday directed the police to refrain from arresting the MLA till September 3, Bar and Bench reported.

The court issued the direction on a petition filed by Mukesh, who claimed that the complaint against him was made with malafide intention to tarnish his career as a politician and an actor. The complaint was filed over 15 years after the alleged incident took place, he added.

Mukesh presented to the court a copy of a communication sent to him by the actor in which she allegedly thanked him for his kindness.

His submission also included a message on the social media application WhatsApp where she allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from him, according to Bar and Bench.