Television host and actor VJ Chitra’s husband Hemnath was granted conditional bail on February 15. The businessman from Chennai, who wed the actor only a couple of months before her death, was arrested on December 15 on charges of abetment to suicide. According to the conditional bail, Hemnath cannot leave Madurai.
When Hemnath’s bail application came up for hearing on Monday, Additional Public Prosecutor M Prabhavathi presented to the court that Chitra’s nail clip analysis had come back without any incriminating evidence against the accused. Following this, Hemnath who was under judicial custody pressed for bail on grounds that his statutory period of 60 days was over. Following this Justice V Bharathidasan granted conditional bail.
Earlier in January, Chennai police, who investigated Chitra’s suicide, submitted that the actor was put under immense pressure by her husband, who allegedly cast aspersions on her character. However, in his bail plea, Hemnath had claimed that he did not force Chitra to quit acting nor did he raise suspicion over her character.
VJ Chitra, who was loved by Tamil television serial fans, was found dead at a hotel room in Chennai’s Nazarathpettai on December 9. Her husband Hemnath, who was present with her in the room, claimed that he was not present inside the room when the actor died by suicide. While Hemnath has maintained his side of the story, Chitra’s parents, relatives, friends and fans have raised suspicion in the sequence of events and alleged foul play.
Regional Divisional Officer (RDO) began their probe into Chitra’s death on December 14, as is the case when a married woman, who has been married for seven years or less, dies in a suspicious manner.
Chitra who was popular as Mullai, on the television serial Pandian Stores, has a film coming up posthumously. Titled Calls, the film has been directed by J Sabarish and is expected to release soon.