In a sexual assault case, a Kerala court grants Manjummel Boys director Chidambaram anticipatory bail.

Chidambaram S. Poduval, the renowned film director and screenwriter of Manjummel Boys, was granted anticipatory relief on Saturday, March 7, by the District and Sessions Court, Ernakulam. Sri. K.K. Balakrishnan, the District Judge, issued the judgment giving Chidambaram bail on conditions. The prosecution claims that during the first week of May 2022, Chidambaram entered the de facto complainant's bedroom with the intention of offending her modesty and pressing on her breast.Based on the de facto complainant's First Information Statement, the Ernakulam South Police Station registered a crime on February 28, 2026, for offenses covered by Sections 354 [Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty], 354A(1)(i) [Sexual harassment], and 509 [Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman] IPC.Chidambaram, a renowned director in the Malayalam film industry, claims that he met the de facto complainant for his role in Manjummel Boys during the film's production and filming. He has argued that he acted professionally toward the de facto complaint and that she was the one who initiated a "campaign" to damage his reputation. Additionally, he claims that the complainant accused him of sexual assault and uploaded a clip on her Instagram account.

Additionally, he claimed that in December 2025, an interim order prohibiting her from posting defamatory news on any media platform was issued after he filed a damage suit against her at the Bombay High Court. He claims that she fabricated the current case in order to avoid the legal repercussions of releasing derogatory material about him. Chidamabaram emphasized that he had no criminal history and that the case was not reported for four years. There is no need for custodial interrogation and no materials are gathered because the de facto complaint is overseas.