Earlier this month, a case was filed against Malayalam filmmaker Chidambaram S. Poduval for allegedly sexually assaulting an actress. A case was registered against the Manjummel Boys director by the Kochi City Police. Reportedly, the complaint was filed by an actress over an incident that allegedly occurred in 2022.
Chidambaram gets bail
After the case was filed, Chidambaram S. Poduval applied for anticipatory bail. He was granted anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam Sessions Court in the sexual assault case filed by the actress. The order was issued by Sessions Judge KK Balakrishnan after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence days after the case was registered in Kochi.
Chidambaram booked in sexual assault case
According to the police complaint filed in early March, the alleged incident took place in 2022 at an apartment in Kochi. The director, as said by the complainant, allegedly trespassed into her residential premises and harassed her.
Chidambaram has been booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to assault or criminal force used on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty. Police noted that the case falls under IPC provisions as the alleged incident occurred in 2022, before the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) came into force.
The matter is currently under investigation, and further action will be taken after examining relevant details and recording statements. Police officials added that a notice will be issued asking the filmmaker to appear for questioning.
The filmmaker has not yet made any public comment on the allegations.
Not the first allegation against Chidambaram
In 2024, social media influencer and actress Prapti Elizabeth had accused the filmmaker of inappropriate behaviour. She alleged that the incident occurred when she was shooting for his film Jan.E.Man, which marked Chidambaram’s directorial debut.
She made the allegations in the comments section of a post on Instagram related to the film. In her comments, she wrote, “The things I can say about the director and male friendships… oof.”
She further added in another reply, “He has WhatsApp messages and a whole night of living it.”
