Ajikumar, a Vyttila resident, has submitted a complaint to District Police Chief (Kochi) Shyam Sunder, demanding the registration of a case against actor Siddique, former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), and filmmaker Ranjith, former chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, in connection with the recent allegations of sexual misconduct raised against them by two women actors.
Both had said that they were not keen on pursuing legal recourse regarding this. While Siddique was accused of sexual assault, Ranjith had allegedly behaved inappropriately with the actor. The allegations came after the release of the Hema committee report which documented sexual exploitation, workplace harassment, and gender pay gap in the Malayalam film industry.
Speaking of the legal implications of the complaint, police sources said an FIR can be registered only if a statement was given to the police or a complaint made by the actors. In this case, a third party has lodged a complaint, based on which a case cannot be registered.
On whether there was demand in the complaint made by Ajikumar to register a case against Siddique under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said there was no such specific demand in his complaint.
