Kerala High Court Stays Proceedings Against Actor Shwetha Menon In Obscenity FIR
The Kerala High Court on Thursday (August 7) stayed proceedings in FIR lodged against Malayalam actor Shwetha Menon for allegedly acting in movies and advertisements containing obscene and vulgar visuals for monetary gain. The interim order was passed by Justice V.G. Arun.While dictating the order the high court said:"I find prima-facie substance in the contention of the learned counsel for...
The Kerala High Court on Thursday (August 7) stayed proceedings in FIR lodged against Malayalam actor Shwetha Menon for allegedly acting in movies and advertisements containing obscene and vulgar visuals for monetary gain.
The interim order was passed by Justice V.G. Arun.
While dictating the order the high court said:
"I find prima-facie substance in the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner that before referring the complaint for investigation under Section 175 BNSS...the requirements under Section 175(3) of calling for a report from the police and of making an inquiry ought to have been complied with. Considering the short duration within which complaint was filed and forwarded to police, it appears that no such procedure has been followed".
The high court directed the Registry to call for a report from the Chief Judicial Magistrate Ernakulam regarding the procedure followed before forwarding the complaint to the police for investigation.
"Admit. Issue notice to the second respondent through speed post...Till such time there shall be interim stay of further proceedings of Crime No. 1075/2025 of Ernakulam Police station," the high court said.
For context, an FIR was registered by the Ernakulam Police yesterday for offences under Section 67A (penalizes publishing of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology (IT) Act and Sections 3 and 5 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act.
It was lodged following the Magistrate's order on a complaint filed by one Martin Menanchery. It has been alleged that the actor with the intention of securing monetary gain appeared in several films and advertisements etc which according to the complainant contain obscene visuals. This, according to the complainant, is capable of inviting penal consequences.
Mennon has been booked under the Information Technology Act on charges of transmitting sexually explicit content and indecent representation of women, by the Ernakulam central police.
In her plea seeking quashing of the FIR, she contended that the FIR was registered over the movies, which were duly certified by the CBFC and exhibited publicly several years ago. She challenged the FIR as Mala-fide and ill-motivated.
The plea states that the actor's appearance in a condom advertisement many years ago was also duly censored and certified and which is available in the public domain and accessible to all.
The plea claims that allegation of the actor being privy to running of pornographic sites is absurd and has been made in a callous manner without any supporting material.
Case title: Shwetha Menon vs. State of Kerala and another
Case No: Crl.M.C. 7075/2025