Kerala HC rejects anticipatory bail plea of Rehana Fathima

Activist Rehana Fathima was denied anticipatory bail on Friday by Kerala High Court after she was booked for posting a video on social media of her minor son drawing on her naked body. In her bail plea, the activist said the allegations prima facie would not constitute any offence punishable which are non-bailable in nature.

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by women activist Rehana Fathima.

Fathima, a former BSNL employee hailing from Kochi, had hit the headlines in October 2018 when she was forced to abandon her plan to pray at the Sabarimala temple.

Two complaints were filed at different police stations against Fatima after a furore over a video clip she posted on the social media in which her minor son and daughter were seen painting on her semi-nude body.

She used the hashtag BodyArt and Politics and wrote: "No child who has seen his own mother's nakedness and body can abuse the female body." Voicing objection, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had asked the police to register a case against her.

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Following the complaint, she had filed an anticipatory bail plea in the High Court.

Dismissing her averment on the reasons for her action, the court on Friday said that the police can go ahead with their investigation.

For the past 18 months, Rehana has been under suspension. After a BSNL probe allegedly found that her Facebook messages had fanned communal tension and she had violated service rules, her services were terminated last month on disciplinary grounds.

The Sabarimala temple traditionally didn't allow entry to girls and women aged between 10 and 50 but the Supreme Court revoked the ban in September 2018, leading to an uproar. The matter is presently pending before a constitutional bench.

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IANS