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Justice Quddhose of the Madras High Court on Thursday restrained filmmaker and poet, Leena Manimekalai and film producer Susi Ganesan from going to the press or making social media comments regarding #MeToo sexual harassment allegations.

The plaintiff, a renowned film director, Susi Ganesan, has filed this suit seeking for damages and for permanent injunction restraining the defendants from making defamatory statements against him. The first defendant, Leena Manimekalai published a post against the plaintiff in the year 2017 on a website, alleging that she was a victim of sexual harassment without naming anyone in particular.

Ganesan has alleged that after a lapse of one year, in 2018, Manimekalai under her attempts at allegedly exposing harassment in the Kollywood industry under the name of “#metoo movement”, belatedly and after much thought and deliberation published the name of Ganesan. 

Ganesan has further submitted that he has a reputation in the film industry as a good and respectable director.

According to him, even without lodging any criminal complaint and only to tarnish his image, Manimekalai has started accusing him of sexual harassment. The plaintiff has also filed a criminal defamation complaint under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and the same has also been taken cognizance of by the IX Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet, Chennai and the trial has also been commenced. According to Ganesan during the pendency of the Trial, in the criminal defamation complaint "with malice and ill-intention to annihilate and malign the future career prospects" of Ganesan, Manimekalai has published a written post with a photograph on Twitter.

Justice Quddhose granted the interim injunction in favour of Ganesan and stated that, "the balance of convenience is also in favour of the applicant/ plaintiff. Irreparable injury will be caused to the plaintiff, if after Trial, this Court finds that there is no truth in the statements made by the defendants. Accordingly, there shall be an order of interim injunction."

However, the Court made it clear that the matter is subjudice, both Ganesan and Manimekalai are injuncted from going to the press with regard to the subject matter of the dispute. "Both the plaintiff and the first defendant are directed not to go to the media or tweet messages with regard to their respective contentions as the matter is subjudice," the Court noted. 

Cause Title: Susi Ganesan vs Leena Manimekalai & Ors.