No law has been broken, says activist Rehana Fathima's husband

Manoj K Sreedhar, husband of activist Rehana Fathima, expressed hope regarding approval of his wife's bail application by the Kerala High Court and insisted that she had not broken the law.

Fathima on Friday moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against her for posting a video on social media of her minor children painting on her half-naked body.

Thiruvalla Police has registered a case against Fathima over the video based on a complaint filed by Advocate AV Arun Prakash. The non-bailable offences slapped against her include charges under the Juvenile Justice Act and Information Technology (IT) Act.

''We hope the bail application will be approved by the Kerala High Court tomorrow. Since there is no sexual content, there is no legality to register a case. We are not breaking the law. We meant to raise awareness from within the law. Rehana was not here when the police came to arrest her. She will appear before the investigating officer tomorrow. Whether or not she is granted bail, we will cooperate with them," Sreedhar said.

"What is seen here is the sexual frustration of society. There is no obscenity in what she did. This is the interaction between a mother and her children. The children painted a Phoenix bird on the mother's body to keep her cool while she was ill. It was good art. The video is posted to show the art of the children and to show this doesn't have to be a problem in society. A particular party is attacking us. The case has been filed in four places. All these complaints were given by this party. They are doing this for political advantage. And they're cyberbullying from fake IDs," he added.

Sreedhar said that the police raided the house and took away the child's drawing brush. "If we have done something wrong, let them take action. The act of causing mental trauma to children should not come from the Child Rights Commission, the police or the government," he said.

Fathima, in her plea, has alleged that the complaint against her was due to religious and political rivalry and added that her actions were part of the freedom of an individual.

Rehana Fathima, who shot to fame for her attempt to enter Sabarimala Temple, posted the video titled 'Body and Politics'. Her minor son and daughter can be seen painting on her body as she lies half-naked on the bed. She shared the video on her Facebook feed and her YouTube channel which was circulated widely.

( With inputs from ANI )