The Additional Sessions Court-VII in Thiruvananthapuram granted Kunju Muhammed anticipatory bail and directed him to appear before the investigating officer within seven days.
Published Dec 20, 2025 | 5:40 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 20, 2025 | 5:40 PM
PT Kunju Muhammed. (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: The Cantonment Police registered a case against PT Kunju Muhammed, a Left-leaning filmmaker and jury chairman of the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)’s selection committee, after a female film personality complained to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 27 November that he had misbehaved with her in a Thiruvananthapuram hotel.
A local court in Kerala, on Saturday, 20 December, granted conditional anticipatory bail to veteran filmmaker and former MLA PT Kunju Muhammed in a case of attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman.
While granting bail, the Additional Sessions Court-VII in Thiruvananthapuram directed him to appear before the investigating officer within seven days.
A case was registered against Muhammed, a Left-leaning filmmaker and jury chairman of the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)’s selection committee, after a female film personality complained to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 27 November that he had misbehaved with her in a Thiruvananthapuram hotel.
The woman said she was at the hotel in connection with the IFFK.
The Chief Minister’s Office forwarded the complaint to the police. The case was registered at the Cantonment Police Station on 8 December.
Muhammed filed the bail petition after the case was registered.
During the hearing of the bail petition, the defence said the complaint was baseless and politically motivated.
However, the prosecution told the court that the alleged assault had left the complainant deeply traumatised and that she took time to recover from the shock before approaching the authorities.
The prosecution also stated that the complaint was filed after the survivor had discussed it with her family members and denied allegations of political motivation, adding that there was nothing unusual in submitting the complaint to the Chief Minister.
Police informed the court that a preliminary investigation had been conducted and a report submitted.
Investigators also said the CCTV footage confirmed that both the accused and the complainant were present at the hotel at the time mentioned in the complaint.
The court granted interim bail after concluding the hearing on Friday. Earlier, the Judicial Magistrate’s Court had recorded the complainant’s confidential statement.
A two-time MLA, Muhammed is known for his films Magrib (1993), Garshom (1998), and Paradesi (2007).
