'Apologise to actress': Supreme Court to Tamil director-politician Senthamizhan Seeman in 2011 rape case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked Tamil film director and politician Senthamizhan Seeman to tender an unconditional apology to an actor who lodged a case against him in 2011 alleging rape on the false promise of marriage.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan was hearing Seeman's plea challenging a Madras High Court order refusing to quash the case against him. The high court had directed the police to complete the investigation and file a final report.

Seeman, who leads the Naam Tamilar Katchi party, is facing charges for various offences including rape, criminal intimidation and cheating under the erstwhile IPC, along with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

Taking up his plea, the court told his counsel, "She is the lady. Let the man apologise, bring an end to it". 

Senior advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the complainant, opposed the settlement. The bench asked Seeman to tender an apology or else his quashing petition would be dismissed.

"In your affidavit, you say that you will not trouble in future. You will withdraw all allegations, you will apologise and on all those conditions, your affidavit if we consider it, we may quash the complaint," the bench said.

Farasat said due to threats his client had left Tamil Nadu a decade ago and was living in Bengaluru. 

Seeman's counsel contended that she had repeatedly spoken against his client in interviews and requested the bench to give him some time to take instructions regarding the apology. 

"See, you are not small children. You know what you have done to each other. Please get out of all this and lead your independent lives. Why do you want litigation," the bench told the counsel.

The bench pointed out that the complainant had made public statements praising Seeman, and asked her counsel to explain the apparent contradiction.

The counsel contended that Seeman publicly maligned his client by calling her a sex worker. He claimed that this statement was made despite the apex court granting him interim protection in March to explore a settlement. 

The court referred the matter to September 24, and extended the interim stay until then.

The complainant alleged she was in a relationship with Seeman between 2007 and 2011 on the assurance of marriage, but he married someone else. The complainant alleged that during this period she was sexually exploited and emotionally manipulated.