A trial court in Ernakulam has ordered the Palarivattom police to register a First Information Report (FIR) and investigate a complaint accusing actress Lakshmi Priya of making sexually coloured remarks against actress Ansiba Hassan during an interview [Ansiba Hassan v Lakshmi Priya & ors].

The dispute concerns an interview given by Priya to online media outlet Can Channel. Hassan claims that the interview included sexually coloured remarks against her, which were intended to outrage her modesty and damage her reputation.

She asserted that Priya's comments and the online circulation of such content, amounted to the commission of a cognisable criminal offence.

Hassan initially approached the Palarivattom Police seeking action.

After the police refused to register an FIR, she approached judicial magistrate first class court in Ernakulam for relief.

However, on July 27, the magistrate court dismissed her plea for registration of an FIR, relying on a police report which stated that the allegations did not disclose a cognisable offence and that Hassan could pursue a private complaint for defamation.

Hassan challenged the magistrate's decision before the Kerala High Court, stating that her allegations were not confined to defamation and disclosed cognisable offences that required a police investigation.

On September 7, the High Court set aside the magistrate's order and ordered the trial court to reconsider the matter afresh.

Pursuant to this direction, the magistrate has now directed the Station House Officer(SHO) of the Palarivattom Police Station to register an FIR and conduct an investigation.

Hassan's complaint names Priya as well as Can Channel Media owner Sukumar and interviewer Suresh.

She has alleged that they portrayed her as 'a woman of immoral character' and thereby committed offences under Sections 75 (iv) (sexual harassment) and 79 (outraging modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).

Advocates Muhammed Firdouz AV and Libin Varghese represented Ansiba Hassan.