Manju Warrier recently initiated defamation proceedings at the Ernakulam Additional Munsiff Court targeting award-winning director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan. Upon evaluating her petition, the court served summonses to not just Sanal but also co-defendants, including journalist Shajan Skariah and Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company.
In the petition, the actor requests an order for the complete removal and permanent blocking of derogatory, defamatory, objectionable and false posts, pictures, videos, audio clips, and statements that Sanal published across his social networking profiles.
The plea explains that Manju Warrier had given her consent to work on Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's directorial venture Kayattam. Although it bypassed a theatrical run, the film premiered back in 2020. In her plea, Manju maintains that her relationship with him throughout the project was strictly professional.
The petition states that Sanal, a married man with two children, made unsolicited romantic advances towards Manju that she turned down. Despite her clear warnings and efforts to avoid him, he reportedly kept contacting her through frequent calls, texts, and social media messages.
According to her petition, as his actions escalated, the ongoing harassment and uninvited intrusion compromised Manju Warrier's privacy, personal space, and dignity, causing severe distress and anxiety that ultimately necessitated legal action.
Previously, Manju filed a formal complaint against Sanal at the Elamakkara police station. A charge sheet was subsequently submitted, and the matter is currently awaiting trial in the Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II.
Following his arrest and subsequent release on bail, Sanal allegedly resumed posting comments, statements, and clips on social networking platforms. The petition notes he framed the criminal case as fabricated, claiming Manju Warrier had not pursued it of her own free will.
Furthermore, the petition highlights that Sanal propagated a narrative alleging he and Warrier were romantically involved and that her legal actions were driven by external pressure from third parties.
Manju refutes these assertions as entirely false and manufactured, maintaining they were designed to deceive the public, call her character into question, and damage her reputation and standing as a professional.
