Kerala Police seek to get filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s defamatory FB posts on woman actor deleted

Kochi police take action to delete filmmaker's contentious Facebook posts, considering non-bailable charges against him.

The Kochi City police have stepped up action to get Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s allegedly contentious Facebook posts with reference to a popular woman actor deleted by approaching the social media platform.

The Elamakkara police had registered a case against him on non-bailable charges based on the actor’s complaint. He was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 78 1(i) (follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact, such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman), 78 (2) (punishment for stalking), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 356(2) (defamation).

“We will initiate due measures if he is abroad. Since defamation is also alleged, steps will be taken to get the posts deleted. Even the victim can directly apply to Facebook to get these deleted,” said Putta Vimaladitya, District Police Chief (Kochi City).

The police were verifying whether Mr. Sasidharan was abroad as he claimed in one of his Facebook posts. He had claimed that he was posting the video from the U.S. “If he is indeed abroad, then steps will be taken to issue a lookout circular and detain him as and when he returns,” said the police.

Mr. Sasidharan was arrested by the Kochi police on a charge of stalking the same actor in May 2022 before being granted bail. Reportedly, the police were yet to file chargesheet in that case.