Published Sep 19, 2026 | 6:07 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 19, 2026 | 6:07 PM
Manju Warrier.
Synopsis: Manju Warrier filed a defamation case against filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, accusing him of making false and derogatory statements about her. Kumar has been on a hunger strike in front of the state Secretariat for almost a week, demanding that the government probe his allegation that Warrier has been held captive by a certain racket, release the Hema Committee report, and investigate the sex racket he said the report had mentioned.
Malayalam actor Manju Warrier has filed a defamation suit against filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan in the Ernakulam Munsiff Court, alleging that he has made false and derogatory statements about her.
In her petition, Warrier sought the removal and withdrawal of social media posts and other remarks allegedly made by the director, claiming that they were intended to malign and humiliate her.
The legal action follows Kumar’s ongoing satyagraha in front of the Secretariat, where he alleged that the actor was under the control of certain “rackets” and needed to be “freed”.
He had also previously alleged that the actress was being held captive by a “sex mafia”.
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Kumar began the indefinite hunger strike on Monday, 14 September, pressing the government to investigate his allegation that Warrier was being held captive by a “sex racket”.
Kumar, who has been at the centre of controversies involving the actress in the past, also demanded an investigation into what he described as a conspiracy behind the case registered against him in Warrier’s name.
His third demand is the release of the Hema Committee report and a high-level investigation into the alleged “sex racket” referred to in the report.
The director said his protest was not meant to force Warrier to respond, but to seek an investigation into his allegations.
He claimed that he had “personal knowledge” of the circumstances of the actor’s life and was prepared to provide evidence.
He also rejected criticism that the hunger strike was intended to demand a response from Warrir, saying his position had consistently been that she should be allowed to speak freely.
The protest comes against the backdrop of legal cases involving Kumar.
In September 2025, the Elamakkara police in Kochi took him into custody in connection with a case involving alleged online stalking and harassment of the actor.
Filmmaker Dr Biju strongly criticised Kumar’s latest protest, describing the campaign as “thoroughly misogynistic” and accusing him of publicly humiliating and stalking a woman.
Biju said he had earlier agreed to lend his name to a statement supporting Kumar only on humanitarian grounds, seeking a fair and speedy investigation into the cases against him without dragging the actress or personal issues into the matter.
He said he now regretted that decision after witnessing what he described as Kumar’s “stalking, antisocial conduct and misogynistic statements”.
Biju also objected to the display of Warrier’s name on a protest placard alongside the allegation that a sex racket was holding her.
He said the government should intervene immediately, arguing that such a protest amounted to public humiliation and an encroachment on a woman’s personal liberty and rights.
(Edited by Majnu Babu with inputs from Dileep V Kumar).
