The Ernakulam Sessions Court has granted anticipatory bail to Manjummel Boys filmmaker Chidambaram S Poduval in a criminal case registered by the Ernakulam Town South Police over allegations of sexual misconduct. The order was issued on Saturday by Sessions Judge K K Balakrishnan.
The case relates to a complaint by a young woman who alleged that the director behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner during an incident said to have occurred in May 2022. Based on the complaint, the police registered offences relating to outraging the modesty of a woman and sexual harassment.
Seeking anticipatory bail, Chidambaram denied the allegations and told the court that his interactions with the complainant had been entirely professional. According to the defence, the two had been in contact regarding discussions about a film project. The defence also highlighted the time gap between the alleged incident and the filing of the complaint, arguing that the accusations surfaced years later and were intended to damage the director’s public reputation.
It further submitted that Chidambaram had earlier approached the Bombay High Court with a civil defamation suit over material circulated about him on media platforms. The High Court had subsequently issued an interim order restraining the complainant from publishing defamatory content against him. While examining the bail plea, the Sessions Court took note of the delay in lodging the complaint. The court also considered a report from the investigating officer stating that the complainant had not been cooperating with the investigation. In view of these circumstances, the court concluded that the matter was suitable for the grant of anticipatory bail under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram's third feature Balan, scripted by Aavesham director Jithu Madhavan, is currently in post-production stages.
