In what has come as relief to expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa in the sexual harassment case, the Supreme Court granted six weeks’ protection from arrest on Thursday.
While restraining the state police from arresting her for six weeks, the bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked the Madurai bench of Madras High Court to decide on her plea for anticipatory bail.
Sasikala had approached the apex court on Wednesday after a Madras High Court bench asked her to appear before the court on August 29.
This comes after the Thoothukudi police registered an FIR against the recently expelled MP under sections of 294 B, 323, 344, 354 A, 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code and TN Prohibition of harassment of Woman Act, 2002. on August 10.
Pushpa’s domestic help had filed a complaint with police alleging that she was sexually harassed by Sasikala's husband Pradeep Raja and their son Lingeswara Thilagam. The help also claimed that she was threatened to be killed if she told anybody about the sexual harassment.
The complainant also alleged that she tried to escape from their house at Anna Nagar in Chennai but they caught her and shaved her head.
Sasikala Pushpa was expelled from the AIADMK on August 1 for anti-party activities. The Rajya Sabha MP had gotten into a scuffle with DMK MP Trichy Siva at the New Delhi airport on July 30.
(IANS inputs)