New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Telugu actor Mohan Babu in an alleged case of assault of a journalist.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah directed Babu to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

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Babu had moved the top court against the December 23 2024 Telangana High Court order which dismissed his anticipatory bail application.

"Custodial interrogation of the petitioner is not required. Hence, the order dated January 9, 2025, granting interim protection to the petitioner should be made absolute," it said.

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The bench went on, "Therefore, we grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner. Accordingly, in the event of the arrest of the petitioner, the petitioner is directed to be released on bail forthwith on the usual terms and conditions to be decided by the court concerned."

On January 9, the apex court granted interim protection to Babu.

On December 12, 2024, an attempt to murder charge was added to the case filed against the actor by the 35-year-old journalist.

The journalist has alleged Babu was aggressive towards him and other journalists during a visit to the actor's Jalpally home on December 10, 2024, to cover an ongoing dispute between the actor and his younger son Manoj.

The differences within the Babu family became public on December 9 after the actor filed a police complaint, alleging his son Manoj and his wife had "orchestrated" a plan to take possession of his Jalpally home through intimidation and force.

Manoj claimed his fight was not for a "share of the property" but for "self-respect and the safety of his wife and children".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)