A sessions court in Kerala has granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam filmmaker Chidambaram S. Poduval, best known for directing the hit film Manjummel Boys, in a case alleging sexual assault of an actress. The order was passed on March 7 by Sessions Judge K.K. Balakrishnan while allowing Poduval’s plea for pre-arrest bail in connection with a case registered by the Ernakulam Town South Police Station.
According to the case records, the filmmaker has been booked under Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 354A(1)(i) (sexual harassment), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
While considering the plea, the court noted the investigating officer’s submission that the complainant is currently residing abroad and has not been cooperating with the investigation. The court also recorded that no prior criminal antecedents had been reported against Poduval. Another factor considered by the court was the delay in filing the complaint. The alleged incident is said to have taken place in May 2022, while the First Information Report (FIR) was registered only on February 28, 2026—nearly four years later.
The court further took note of a defamation case filed by Poduval before the Bombay High Court seeking damages against the complainant. In that matter, the High Court had reportedly restrained the de facto complainant from publishing allegedly defamatory content about the filmmaker on any platform.
Taking these aspects into account, the sessions court observed that custodial interrogation was not necessary and allowed the anticipatory bail plea. “Considering all the above said aspects, I am of the view that this is a fit case to invoke the jurisdiction vested under Section 482 of BNSS to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner,” the court said while granting pre-arrest bail subject to conditions.
As per the prosecution, the complainant alleged …read more
Disclaimer : This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by FilmyFriday. Source:: BollywoodHungama
