Suresh Gopi seeks bail in Kerala court for misbehaviour with woman journalist

Kozhikode (Kerala), Oct 16 (PTI) Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Wednesday sought regular bail from a magisterial court here in a case lodged against him for allegedly misbehaving with a woman journalist and listed the matter for framing of charges in January next year.

The wife and brother of Gopi, the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, stood as sureties for him in the bail plea, the actor's lawyer told reporters.

The lawyer also said that the actor would be moving the Kerala High Court against the trial court proceedings.

Nadakkavu Police in October last year registered the case under section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman) of the IPC based on the complaint of the journalist who works with a local television channel.

The actor had landed in trouble after a video surfaced online in which he was seen placing his hand on the shoulder of the journalist, who pushed it away twice, during an interaction with various reporters.

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