The Kerala High Court on Wednesday quashed the criminal case registered against actor Sreenath Bhasi for using filthy language against a woman journalist, in view of the settlement reached between the journalist and the actor.
The Maradu police had registered the case against the actor under section under Sections 354A(i)(iv) (making sexually coloured remarks, 294(b)(singing, reciting or uttering any obscene song) and 509 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on a complaint of the woman journalist. According to her, he had misbehaved with her while she was interviewing him.
The court said that the averments in the petition as well as the affidavit sworn in by the victim would show that the entire dispute between the parties had been amicably settled and the complainant had decided not to proceed with the criminal proceedings further.
The court also observed that the dispute in the case “is purely personal in nature. No public interest or harmony will be adversely affected by quashing the proceedings”. Besides, the offences in the case did not fall within the category of offences prohibited for compounding in terms of the pronouncements of the Supreme Court.
The court added that no purpose would be served in proceeding with the matter any further and ordered quashing of the case.
