"Passport cannot be continuously remained surrendered...", Kerala HC modifies bail conditions to Actor Vijay Babu

Kochi (Kerala) [India], February 23 : The Kerala High Court has modified the bail condition of Malayalam actor-cum-producer Vijay Babu, stating that he shall not leave the state without prior permission of the jurisdictional court.
Court modified the conditions which were issued in the order granting anticipatory bail to him in a rape case filed by an actress.
The Single Bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas modified the bail conditions stating, "Having considered the circumstances in the case, especially the completion of the investigation and the filing of the final report, I am of the view that condition no. 7 can be deleted. As far as condition no. 9 is concerned, since the right to travel abroad is a fundamental right, the petitioner's passport cannot be continuously remain surrendered and since the passport has already expired, he needs to obtain a new one to undertake travel as and when required."
"The condition regarding the surrender of the passport shall also be modified and the passport shall be returned to the petitioner. However, before every travel undertaken by the petitioner, prior permission shall be obtained after providing the itinerary and place of residence and contact numbers during his stay abroad. The conditions imposed in the bail order dated June 22, 2022, shall stand modified to the above extent," the HC further stated.
This modification has come while considering the petition of Vijay Babu seeking modification of the bail condition.
Notably, there are two cases registered against Vijay Babu. One is the sexual assault case and the second one is disclosing the identity of the complainant through social media.
The complainant alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by the actor at a flat in Kochi, and has repeated the offence more than once. She further alleged said that the actor committed the offence on the pretext of offering roles in movies to the woman.