Mani seeks anticipatory bail from HC

Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani, against whom a case has been registered for allegedly roughing up two forest officials during a vehicle search near Athirappaly in Thrissur, today moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
The petition has been posted for Monday for hearing the police.
Though Mani's counsel requested for an interim order not to arrest him by Monday, Justice K Ramakrishnan turned down the plea.
The actor claimed he was innocent and was "abused" by the two forest officials when he tried to prevent them insulting his friend's wife who was in the car. The officials insulted him by calling him by his caste name, he alleged.

An FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by two forest officials and charged the actor under IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 322 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servants from duty) and 249b (uttering obscene words), police said.
According to the complaint, Mani objected to his car being searched by the officials when they stopped his vehicle while it was passing through Kannamkuzhi.
Mani and his friends allegedly pushed aside the officials, a beat forest officer and a deputy range officer, and drove away from the spot. After some time, they returned to the forest office and allegedly roughed up and abused the officials.