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The Kerala High Court has dismissed a case against filmmaker Sreekumar Menon, ruling that “unpleasant or abusive words alone do not constitute an insult to a woman’s modesty.” Menon was accused of using offensive language against a Malayalam actor on social media and allegedly misbehaving with her during the production of the 2018 Mohanlal-starrer Odiyan.
The single bench, presided by Justice S Manu observed that the accusations made by the prosecution were not sufficient to constitute the offence under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which is about acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty. The complaint was filed by a popular female Malayalam actor, who alleged that Menon’s behaviour during the shoot and subsequent online abuse were intended to insult her modesty.
In the ruling, the court emphasised that “mere utterances of unpleasant or abusive words without an intention either to insult the modesty of the woman or to intrude upon her privacy would not attract the offence under section 509 of the IPC.” Additionally, the charges of stalking using obscene words in public were also found to lack substantial evidence.
The actress had filed a complaint against the filmmaker, back in 2019, for allegedly trying to defame her through organised social media campaigns. Based on her complaint, Sreekumar Menon was arrested and was later released on bail.
As per the High Court’s order, the FIR against Menon registered by the Thrissur Town East Police, has also been quashed, and all further proceedings in the case have also been cancelled.