Kerala High Court Stays Proceedings Against Actress Shwetha Menon

 Kochi: The Kerala High Court has stayed further proceedings in the case filed against actress Shwetha Menon, observing that the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Ernakulam did not adhere to proper legal procedures while admitting the complaint.

Justice V.G. Arun noted that Shwetha Menon’s arguments challenging the legal validity of the case appear to have prima facie merit. The High Court also directed the CJM Court to submit a report clarifying the procedural steps taken while registering the case.

Emphasizing judicial decorum, the High Court refrained from making further remarks against the CJM. The actress approached the High Court through her counsels, Adv. M. Ravikrishnan and Adv. Unni Kappan, seeking to quash the proceedings.

The CJM Court had, on the previous day, directed the registration of a case against Shwetha Menon based on a complaint that she acted in obscene films and allegedly profited from the circulation of such content. Following this, the Ernakulam Central Police registered an FIR under Section 67A of the IT Act and Sections 3 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

Shwetha Menon, who is contesting the upcoming election for the post of President of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), approached the High Court in the wake of speculation that the case may have political undertones. The AMMA elections are scheduled for August 15, and the timing of the case has raised concerns in the film industry about whether it is intended to influence the electoral process.

The complaint was filed by Martin Menachery, a resident of Thoppumpady, who alleged that the actress performed in obscene scenes for monetary gain. The case was registered by the Ernakulam Central Police based on the directive from the CJM Court.