Chidambaram updates: Director Chidambaram S Poduval, who gained critical acclaim for directing the blockbuster Malayalam film, ‘Manjummel Boys,’ has been granted anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam Session Court on Monday, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of an actress. Sessions judge KK Balakrishnan issued the bail orders after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence. As per reports, an actress had filed a police complaint in Ernakulam earlier, accusing the director of assaulting her sexually. Following this, the Ernakulam Town South Police had registered an FIR against Chidambaram.

Incident dates back to 2022

The actress mentioned in her complaint that the incident took place in May 2022. In her account to the police, she claimed that Chidambaram barged into her flat without her consent and violated her. The police booked Chidambaram under Sections 354, 354(1) and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which were in force back then. 

Director refutes charges

Chidambaram, in his anticipatory bail petition, denied the allegations firmly. His legal team maintained that he had interacted with the complainant merely for professional purposes, and regarding the production of the film. The defence also raised questions on the timing of the complaint, contending that it had been filed nearly four years after the alleged incident. According to the lawyers, the delay put the credibility of the allegations under question and suggested that the case may have been filed with the objective to tarnish the director’s reputation.

Court takes note of delay in filing complaint

The bench hearing the case took note of the delay in filing the complaint as well as the observations made by the investigating police officer. The officer’s report claims that the complainant refused to cooperate with the probe. Considering the aforementioned factors, the sessions court granted anticipatory bail to the filmmaker. It also referred to an interim order issued by the Bombay High Court (HC) earlier that restrained that publication of allegedly defamatory content about the director in the media. 

On the other hand, a police probe is underway in the case at present.