The Kerala High Court quashes FIR against actress Lakshmi Menon and her co-accused in connection with the alleged assault and abduction of an IT professional near a Kochi pub in August 2024.
The Court accepted the joint affidavit of settlement filed by both parties, concluding that the dispute had arisen out of a misunderstanding and was resolved amicably.
Justice C S Dias of the Kerala High Court, while considering the petitions filed by the accused, observed that the complainant had no subsisting grievance and that continuing the criminal proceedings would serve no fruitful purpose.
Accordingly, the Court invoked its inherent powers to quash the proceedings.
The order records,
“In the result, the Criminal Miscellaneous Case is allowed. Annexure A1 FIR and all further proceedings in the crime registered before the Ernakulam Town North Police Station are hereby quashed.”
Background of the Case
The FIR stemmed from an incident dated August 24, 2024, near Velocity Pub in Kochi, where a quarrel reportedly occurred between the complainant, an IT professional, and the actress along with her friends.
The complainant alleged that his car was intercepted, he was forcibly pulled out, and assaulted in another vehicle belonging to the accused.
Based on this, the Ernakulam Town North Police registered a case under Sections 140(2) (kidnapping), 126 (wrongful restraint), 296 (obscene acts), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).
Court’s Observation
Earlier, the High Court had granted anticipatory bail to Menon and two co-accused after noting an affidavit filed by the complainant confirming the amicable settlement and expressing his desire not to proceed further.
The Court noted that since the complainant and accused had voluntarily resolved the matter, and the dispute appeared to be personal in nature, continuation of the criminal proceedings would amount to an abuse of process of law.
Representation
The actress and co-accused were represented by Advocates Biju Balakrishnan, V S Rakhee, K J Gisha, Akshaya S Nair, and Jayakumar C, while Advocate Vivek Venugopal appeared for the de-facto complainant.
Bench and Case Details
- Case Title: Midhun Mohan v. State of Kerala & connected matters
- Bench: Justice C S Dias
- Court: High Court of Kerala, Ernakulam
- Crime Number: Ernakulam Town North Police Station – Annexure A1 FIR
- Date of Order: November 7, 2025
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