Filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan released on bail in stalking case

The Malayalam film director denied having harassed or stalked the actor he worked with

Filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, who was arrested by the Kochi police on a charge of stalking a popular Malayalam actor, was released on bail by the Aluva First Class Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday.

The police had registered a case against him under Section 354(D) on a petition by the actor alleging unsolicited advances personally and through social media since August 2019. She had acted in and produced a movie by Mr. Sasidharan that was released last year.

Section 354(D) pertains to any man who follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact, such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman.

Emerging from the court, Mr. Sasidharan denied having harassed or stalked the actor. He said that he had not contacted the actor recently, and that the email communication was also about the film they worked on. He alluded to having acted in good faith for the wellbeing of the actor, adding that he wondered why she complained.

Though he could have secured station bail, he insisted on being produced before the court and the police complied. He alleged that the police did not return his mobile phone, but Elamakkara police sources said that custody of possessions such as phones is a routine process. It was deposited with the court and the accused can secure it through his lawyer, said sources.

While Mr. Sasidharan caused a stir while being picked up from Parassala on Thursday morning, he was cooperative in court, much to the relief of the police.

On Thursday, he had gone live on Facebook, questioning the credentials of the policemen who turned up in plain clothes to take him into custody. The film director told those watching that he feared for his life.