Rehana Fathima, the controversial former ‘model’ and ‘kiss for love’ campaigner, who attempted to desecrate Sabarimala, was convicted in a cheque fraud case and awarded a fine of Rs. 2.1 lakh and one day of imprisonment. In 2014, the activist had borrowed a sum of Rs. 2 lakh from one Anil Kumar, a resident of Alappuzha, which was returned through a cheque. However, when he approached the bank with the cheque, it bounced as there was no money in the account.
Kumar had moved to the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Alappuzha in 2014 who handed her a day’s imprisonment and ordered her to pay the fine. She then filed an appeal against the verdict before the High Court. However, the High Court upheld the previous verdict as well.
Fathima, who has a controversial past, was earlier arrested after her Sabarimala misadventure for hurting religious sentiments through a Facebook post. She had also stirred controversy after she posed topless in a photo with watermelons as a mark of protest against a Kozhikode-based college professor’s remark comparing women’s breasts to watermelons.
Another consequence of her misadventure was that she was transferred to the Palarivattom telephone exchange in Kochi by BSNL, where she would not be required to interact with the public. Her employers had even initiated disciplinary procedures against her and promised more action after the completion of an internal inquiry.