Filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana moves HC seeking anticipatory bail

Filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana, who was booked under sedition charges by Lakshadweep police, on Monday moved the Kerala high court seeking anticipatory bail.

In her plea, Sulthana said there is a possibility of her arrest, if she reaches Kavaratti.

Police have asked her to appear at Kavaratti police station on June 20.

Sulthana was booked on June 10 on sedition charges following a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader that she spread false news about the spread of COVID-19 in the union territory during a TV debate.

The complaint was filed by the BJP's Lakshadweep unit president Abdul Khader.

Sulthana hails from Chetiath island in Lakshadweep.

According to the FIR lodged by the Kavaratti police, a case under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the filmmaker.

In his complaint filed with the Kavaratti police on Wednesday, Khader said Sulthana, during a debate in a Malayalam TV channel, had alleged that the Central government used biological weapons for the spread of COVID-19 in Lakshadweep.

The BJP leader, in his complaint, has alleged that Sulthana's was an anti-national act, which tarnished the "patriotic image" of the central government.

He sought action against her.

The BJP's Lakshadweep unit had staged a protest in the islands seeking action against the filmmaker.

Lakshadweep has been witnessing protests by various political parties since the administration started implementing reform measures in the islands.