Shwetha Menon case: Kerala HC orders interim stay on proceedings
Many say this is part of a deeper political battle linked to the “power group” in Malayalam cinema
In a big relief to Malayalam film actor Shwetha Menon, the Kerala High Court on Thursday (August 7) stayed the proceedings in connection with the FIR registered against her for allegedly propagating obscene scenes through her films, advertisements, and online content.
Justice V G Arun passed the interim order on a plea moved by the actor to quash the FIR against her.
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The court said that the complaint appeared suspicious, as it was filed privately and forwarded to the police without proper verification. This order is important for Shwetha, who is contesting for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) president post on August 15.
Case ahead of AMMA polls
The complaint, filed by Martin Menachery, Kerala general secretary of Newspaper Association of India, accused Shwetha of sharing obscene scenes through her films, ads, and online content.
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The FIR was registered by the police on August 5, just 10 days before the AMMA election. He pointed to films like Paleri Manikyam, Rathinirvedham, Kallimannu, and even an advertisement. But all these were cleared by the censor board years ago. No one raised an issue then but now, with Shwetha standing as a strong candidate, these scenes are being used against her.
What Shwetha said
Shwetha moved the Kerala High Court to seek the quashing of the FIR against her, saying the charges were “false, baseless, and defamatory”.
She said, “There is no obscene content. All the material is already in public domain, and the accusations are part of a malicious campaign to damage my reputation.”
“This case has been filed to tarnish my public image just before the AMMA elections. It is clearly an attempt to silence me,” she added.
Support for Shwetha
Many in the Malayalam industry believe this is part of a deeper political battle linked to the “power group” inside AMMA.
Bhagyalakshmi, dubbing artist and women’s rights advocate, said, “This is a planned move. Someone has given a quotation to destroy her image. They are picking up old, cleared content and twisting it. It’s clearly a setup.”
Maala Parvathi, actor and activist, said, “This is character assassination. They are trying to destroy her image just before the election. I believe actor Baburaj’s sudden withdrawal from the AMMA race is connected.”
Devan, actor and an AMMA candidate who is in the race for the top post, said, “This FIR is ridiculous. Every movie listed here was approved by the censor board. This is a targeted attempt to take her down.”