The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said on Sunday that actor-turned-politician M Mukesh, who has been accused of rape, will continue serving as an MLA in Kerala until a court makes a ruling in the case against him, reported PTI.

The statement came soon after a Special Investigation Team confirmed that it had filed a chargesheet against Mukesh in the rape case. The SIT said it had presented digital evidence against Mukesh before the Ernakulam Judicial Magistrate Court, reported the Hindustan Times.

WhatsApp chats, emails between Mukesh and the complainant, and circumstantial evidence and witness statements were submitted to the court.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary MV Govindan told PTI that Mukesh would continue to hold office as a legislator and that a decision regarding his future would be made only after the court delivered its verdict in the case.

He said: “A chargesheet has been filed, and we will address the matter when the court takes a stand. There is no need for resignation, as this is the party’s stance.”

Mukesh has been charged – with rape, assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty and insulting a woman’s modesty by word, sound, gesture or object – based on a complaint by a female actor, registered by the Maradu police station.

The complainant claimed that Mukesh raped her in 2010 on the pretext of promising to make her a member of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. The first information report against Mukesh was filed in August.

Mukesh has claimed that the allegations stem from his refusal to give in to blackmail by the complainant.

Last year, several cases were filed against well-known Malayalam film personalities after allegations of sexual harassment against them emerged, triggered by the contents of the Justice K Hema Committee report.

The Kerala government established the committee in response to outrage triggered by a 2017 sexual assault case involving actor Dileep. The report highlighted instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

On August 19, a redacted version of the report was released after the High Court rejected a plea by actor Ranjini, who sought a stay on its publication. The report said that women are told to make “compromises and adjustments” for work in Malayalam cinema, a euphemism for making themselves available for sex on demand.

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