Kochi | The Kerala High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly misbehaving with a woman journalist during a media interaction in October last year.

Justice Sophy Thomas directed the police to grant him bail in case he was arrested.

The anticipatory bail was granted after the state government submitted before the court that there were no circumstances for arrest as of now.

Earlier, Nadakkavu police had questioned the actor-turned politician in the case and recorded his statement.

The woman journalist had lodged a complaint along with a video of the incident with the Kozhikode city police commissioner, who, in turn, handed it over to the local police station for further action.

The former BJP Rajya Sabha member landed in trouble after a video surfaced online in which he is seen placing his hand on the shoulder of the journalist, who pushed it away twice, during an interaction with various reporters.

A case under section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman) of the IPC was registered based on her complaint.

Facing intense criticism from various quarters, the actor tendered an apology, saying he only treated the journalist with affection.

Despite his apology, criticism from various quarters pointed out that his behaviour had been inappropriate.