Thiruvananthapuram | A court here on Saturday granted anticipatory bail to film director P T Kunju Muhammad in a case related to the alleged molestation of a woman associated with the film industry.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rekha R granted the relief to the former MLA after hearing the arguments of the public prosecutor and the defence counsel in detail.

Earlier this month, Cantonment Police registered a case against Muhammad following a complaint that he had allegedly molested the woman at a hotel where they were staying to select Malayalam films for the recently held International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

The defence counsel submitted that the allegations against Muhammad were false and pointed out that the complaint was initially submitted to the chief minister rather than the police.

The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea, stating that the allegations were serious in nature and that granting anticipatory bail could affect the investigation.

After considering the submissions, the court granted anticipatory bail to Muhammad. The court directed Muhammad to appear before the investigating officer for interrogation within seven days and to cooperate with the investigation.

It also directed the police to release Muhammad on bail if he is arrested during the probe. Muhammad is a noted filmmaker and producer and had earlier served as a Left-supported independent MLA in Kerala.