A sessions court in Kerala on March 7 granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam filmmaker and 'Manjummel Boys' director Chidambaram S Poduval in a case alleging sexual assault of an actress. [Chidambaram S Poduval v State of Kerala].Sessions Judge KK Balakrishnan passed the order while allowing the filmmaker's plea for pre-arrest bail in connection with the crime registered by the Ernakulam Town South Police Station.The case against Poduval was registered for offences punishable under Sections 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 354A(1)(i) (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.While considering his anticipatory bail plea, the sessions court recorded the investigation officer's submission that the complainant was currently residing abroad and was not cooperating with the investigation.The Court also noted that no criminal antecedents had been reported against Poduval.It further pointed out that the alleged incident had taken place in 2022, while the First Information Report (FIR) was registered only on February 28, 2026, nearly four years after the alleged offences had occurred.The sessions court also took into account the proceedings initiated by Poduval before the Bombay High Court seeking damages for defamation, where the Court had passed an order restraining the de-facto complainant from publishing defamatory content about the accused on any platform.Taking these circumstances into consideration, the court observed that custodial interrogation was not necessary and granted him anticipatory bail with conditions."Considering all the above said aspects, I am of the view that this is a fit case to invoke the jurisdiction vested u/s.482 of BNSS to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner. Therefore, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, I am inclined to grant pre-arrest bail to the petitioner, but on conditions," the sessions court added..According to the prosecution case, the alleged incident of sexual assault took place in the first week of May 2022.The de-facto complainant alleged that the accused had trespassed into her apartment in Kochi, entered her room, laid beside her in a nude state and pressed her breast with the intentions of sexually assaulting her and outraging her modesty.Poduval, however, denied the allegations and stated that the complainant had made defamatory accusations against him through social media posts and videos.He told the court that he is a well-known director and screenwriter in the Malayalam film industry, having received commercial success for his films and won several major awards.He contended that his interactions with the de-facto complainant were strictly professional and took place during the production of the film 'Manjummel Boys', in which she had a role. According to him, the de-facto complainant had engaged in systematic campaign to damage his reputation by publishing videos on Instagram containing allegations of sexual misconduct and had even created a highlight on her social media profile titled 'Rapey Dudes', which contained defamatory references to him.Poduval claimed that these publications caused significant reputational damage and mental distress.The public prosecutor opposed the plea arguing that the accused could influence the witness.After considering the submisisons and the records, the Court allowed Poduval's plea and granted him anticipatory bail subject to certain conditions.He was directed to appear before the investigating officer as and when required, to refrain from influencing witness or tampering with evidence and not to involve himself in any other offences..Advocates Benoj C Augustin, Nayana Baiju and Sabitha B appeared for Poduva.Public prosecutor Manoj G Krishnan represented the State..[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
