Hyderabad, Dec 13 (IANS): Telangana High Court on Friday adjourned to December 19 the hearing on anticipatory bail petition of veteran Tollywood actor Mohan Babu in the attempt to murder case booked against him for attacking a television journalist.

Mohan Babu sought interim orders, directing police not to arrest him till the next hearing of his petition. However, the court declined to pass any orders to bar police from taking any action.

The court directed the police to file its counter affidavit to Mohan Babu’s petition.

The veteran actor, who is also a former Member of Parliament, was booked for attempting to murder after he attacked a reporter of a television channel after grabbing the mike. The reporter was injured and was admitted to a hospital.

The incident had occurred on Tuesday night during the chaos at Mohan Babu’s house in Jalpally amid the dispute with his actor son Manchu Manoj.

Rachakonda Police, initially registered a case under Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 118 (1) (causing hurt with dangerous weapons or substances) against Mohan Babu, later added section 109 (attempt to murder).

The FIR was registered on a complaint by M. Satyanarayana, a reporter of Telangana news channel TV9.

Mohan Babu attacked the TV reporter when the latter had gone to his residence in Jalpally to cover the ongoing dispute between the veteran actor and his actor son Manchu Manoj.

Journalists had staged protests on Wednesday, demanding the police to book attempt to murder case. They had also demanded an apology from Mohan Babu, who is also a former Member of Parliament.

Mohan Babu, who was also admitted to hospital on Tuesday night and was discharged on Thursday, apologised to the journalist and TV9.

Mohan Babu posted a letter on X to express regret over the unfortunate incident.

“It pains me deeply that what started as a personal family dispute spiraled into a larger situation, causing distress not only to the esteemed TV9 family but also to the broader journalist fraternity,” he wrote.

The senior actor also gave his version of the incident that happened at his house in Jalpally on the night of December 10.

“In the heat of the moment, when my gate was broken and 30-50 individuals, comprising anti-social elements, forcibly barged into my house with an intent to harm those present, I lost my composure. Amidst this chaos, the media inadvertently became intertwined in the situation. As I tried to manage the situation, Mr Ranjith, one of your journalists, unfortunately sustained an injury. This was a deeply regrettable outcome, and I deeply regret the pain and inconvenience caused to him, his family and the TV9 community,” he posted.