Shweta Menon argues the complaint’s timing, filed on the last day for the election withdrawals, is suspicious. Fellow contender Devan supports Menon, claiming the complaint aims to destabilize A.M.M.A and that the CBFC cleared the films.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has stayed further proceedings in the case registered against prominent Malayalam actor Shweta Menon, who is currently contesting for the post of president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). The case, filed under Sections 3 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, was initiated following a court directive, based on a complaint that accused her of acting in films and advertisements with allegedly obscene content for financial gain. The complaint was filed by social worker Martin Menachery, who claimed that certain content featuring the actor was circulated on social media and adult websites to gain popularity and revenue. The Ernakulam Central Police, acting on the court’s instructions, registered an FIR and have stated that the investigation is currently at a very early stage. Shweta Menon had moved the High Court seeking to have the case quashed. In her plea, she argued that the timing of the complaint, filed on July 31, the last day to withdraw nominations for the AMMA elections, raises concerns, especially given that she is a strong contender for the president’s post and could potentially become the first woman to lead the organisation.
She further stated in her petition that all the films she acted in were legally certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and have been available in the public domain for several years. The actor, a two-time Kerala State Film Award winner, has had a successful career in Malayalam and Hindi cinema and was crowned Femina Miss India Asia Pacific in 1994. This legal development comes amid a period of transition for AMMA, after the previous committee led by Mohanlal stepped down in the wake of allegations raised in the Hema Committee report, which pointed to misconduct by some of the office bearers, including actors Siddique and Baburaj.
Devan Supports Shwetha Menon
Veteran actor Devan, who will compete against Shweta Menon in the elections, has come out in strong support for her. He clarified that the performances in question were delivered strictly according to the script and directorial vision, not personal choices made by the actor. According to Devan, evaluating whether content crosses the line of decency is the role of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had duly cleared the films in question for public release.
Devan alleged that the complaint against Shweta appears to be part of a deliberate effort to destabilize the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (A.M.M.A). “This is not acceptable,” he said, asserting that all A.M.M.A members stand firmly with Shweta Menon. He added that he had personally spoken with several members earlier that morning, and there was consensus in support of her.
Dismissing the FIR as “nonsense”, Devan said the timing and nature of the complaint suggested a targeted attempt to derail Shweta’s presidential bid. He emphasized that AMMA will not be brought down by such tactics and reiterated that the association has long supported greater representation for women, including from senior figures like Mohanlal. While Devan refrained from directly accusing actor Baburaj, he hinted at the possibility of a conspiracy and said there were doubts surrounding the motivations behind the complaint. Once a new committee is in place, he assured, A.M.M.A will conduct a full investigation to get to the bottom of the matter.