#MeToo: Arjun Sarja Not To Be Arrested Till November 14, Karnataka High Court Orders Police

One of the most famous cases from the #MeToo movement is currently unfolding in the Kannada film industry. The battle lines have been drawn as the whole industry is divided between Sruthi Hariharan and Arjun Sarja. The actress had accused Arjun of sexual misconduct back in 2015. The two have since filed legal cases against each other and now a hearing based on Sruthi's FIR report was conducted at the Karnataka High Court. 

Read | #Metoo | Sruthi Hariharan's Complaint Against Arjun Sarja Reveals She Is Married To Ram Kumar

During the hearing, the judge passed an interim order to ensure that the Cubbon Park police does not arrest the actor until November 14. The next hearing on the matter will be held on that date and the court has ruled that until then Arjun should not be taken into custody. This decision came out when the actor moved the court to quash the FIR that Sruthi has filed against him. Even though the court ruled that immediate arrest was not required, it refused to dismiss the FIR. The defendant had tried to dismiss the case on the ground that Sruthi's statement on social media and that on her FIR do not match. His lawyer argued that sections for sexual harassment were deliberately invoked by the victim since its a non-bailable offense. The lawyer also observed that the alleged harassment took place while shooting a scene for a film and that the director and several others were present on set, which makes her claims hard to believe. The HC decided that since it was a case dating back to three years, there was no need for an immediate arrest.

Read | #MeToo: Arjun Sarja Slaps Defamation Case Of Rs 5 Crore Against Sruthi Hariharan; Actors Attend Meet To Resolve Conflict

Sruthi had filed an FIR against Arjun Sarja alleging him of sexual harassment as they were shooting for a scene in the movie 'Vismayam'. Moreover, her report had also made major headlines when it came to light that in the report, it was mentioned that she was married to Ram Kumar. In response to her FIR, Arjun has filed a Rs 5 Crore defamation case against the actress.