Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was granted bail by the Aluva First Class Judicial Magistrate Court on 6 May, a day after police arrested him, The News Minute reported. Sasidharan's arrest was based on a complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier accusing him of defaming her on social media, as per a report by Onmanorama.
Manju also reportedly complained that Sasidharan has been stalking her since 2019 and he has proposed to her online despite the fact that she rejected his advances.
He was booked under Section 354D (Stalking) of the Indian Penal Code. In her complaint, filed at the Elamakkara Police station in Kochi, Manju reportedly stated that the director has been blackmailing and defaming her through his posts on social media.
For the past week, Sanal has made several claims on Facebook that Manju's life is in danger. He said she was under threat as she had testified in the actor assault case, involving Dileep.
"Very Serious: Actress’s life is in danger. It has been four days since I posted on social media that the life of famous Malayalam actress Manju Warrier is in danger and she is in the custody of some people with vested interests. I posted the names of her managers Bineesh Chandran and Binu Nair and the reasons why I believe she is in detention. But so far neither Manju Warrier nor anyone else concerned has responded. Manju Warrier's silence reinforces my suspicion. Yesterday I sent an email to @wcc_cinema wcc, organisation working for gender equality in Malayalam cinema. They, too, remain silent on the matter. When I say this on social media today, many people try to see this very serious issue as a joke. It is frightening that the mainstream media in Kerala is trying to pretend that it has not seen this issue. Since the issue I have raised is about the life and liberty of a nationally acclaimed film actress, I would like the national media to take this issue seriously (sic)", the filmmaker had written.
The director had also written a letter to the President of India and Chief Justice raising 'apprehensions on the law and order situation in the wake of various incidents in Kerala, starting from transgender Shalu's death to Manju Warrier's case (sic)'.
Sanal and Manju have worked together in a movie titled Kayattam.
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