Malayalam actor Jayasurya to take legal action

Jayasurya. (Jayasurya Jayan / Instagram)

Malayalam actor Jayasurya on Saturday, August 31, publicly responded to the allegations of sexual harassment against him and announced that he has decided to take legal action.

This announcement comes after two cases were filed against him by female actors in the Malayalam film industry. The allegations against Jayasurya and other actors come after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.

In a statement on social media, Jayasurya said he planned to pursue legal action, stating that his legal team would handle the case from now on. He said, “Let those who have not sinned throw stones, but only those who have sinned.”

“Due to personal commitments, my family and I have been in America for the past month, and during this time two false allegations of sexual harassment have been made against me.”

“It has of course devastated me, my family and everyone dear to me. I have decided to pursue this through legal means,” Jayasurya said in a post on his Facebook page to thank everyone who wished him a happy birthday on August 31.

Responding to the lawsuits against him, Jayasurya said in his letter: “False accusations are easy to make for anyone who has no conscience. I only hope that people realise that facing a false accusation of harassment is as painful as the harassment itself.

“A lie always travels faster than the truth, but I believe the truth will prevail,” he added.

He said he will return to Kerala once his work in America is over and in the meantime all legal proceedings to prove his innocence will continue.

“I have complete confidence in our justice system,” he said, sarcastically thanking “those who contributed to making this anniversary the most painful.”

#Malayalam Actor Jayasurya has publicly responded to the allegations of sexual harassment and announced that he plans to take legal action.

This announcement comes after two legal cases were filed against him by female actors from the Malayalam film industry.

On social media… photo.twitter.com/qmYs7KlxZK

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) September 1, 2024

Related: Money, Power and Abuse: The Many Weinsteins in Malayalam Cinema and a ‘Divergent’ Cold War

Cases against Jayasurya

The first FIR against the actor was registered on August 28 under Section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Cantonment police station here, following a complaint by a female actor who has acted in a handful of films.

She had made allegations of sexual abuse against well-known actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasurya and Maniyanpilla Raju, and against small-time actor Idavela Babu, who played an important role in the actors’ association AMMA.

“In 2013, I was physically and verbally abused by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable,” the woman alleged in her Facebook post.

The second case was filed at Karamana police station in Thiruvananthapuram under Sections 354 and 354 C (voyeurism) of the Penal Code following a complaint by another woman actor who alleged that Jayasurya had molested her on a film set near Thodupuzha in 2012-13.

The Hema Commission’s report on the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry was made public on August 19, five years after it was submitted to the Kerala government.

The release of the Justice K Hema Commission report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry has sparked a storm of protest. Several female actors have come forward with disturbing stories of abuse they faced at the hands of their male counterparts.

The Kerala government formed the Justice Hema Committee after the 2017 actress sexual assault case. The report revealed cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.