Ramesh Pisharody resigns as AMMA ad hoc committee convenor, says he won't fight to retain post

Actor Ramesh Pisharody has resigned as the convenor of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists' (AMMA) ad hoc committee after the Ernakulam Munsiff Court stayed the functioning of the interim panel. The court issued an interim stay after actor Shwetha Menon challenged the committee's legality, arguing that AMMA's bylaws do not provide for the formation of an ad hoc committee. The court also accepted her plea that the previous governing committee should continue until a new committee is elected, in keeping with past practice.

Announcing his resignation, Pisharody said he had no intention of holding on to a position or dragging the 32-year-old organisation into prolonged legal disputes.

"I accepted this responsibility because the general body asked me to. Now that the court has directed otherwise, I am stepping aside," he said.

Pisharody explained that the ad hoc committee was formed after all office-bearers announced their resignation during AMMA's general body meeting, with the president also declaring that she was resigning from the organisation's primary membership before leaving the venue.

The sudden resignations, he said, left the organisation in uncertainty. Jagadish was requested to temporarily preside over the meeting before discussions led to the decision to form an interim committee. Pisharody said he later received a phone call asking if he would serve on the panel and agreed, considering it his responsibility to support the organisation.

Clarifying the court order, Pisharody said it was an interim stay and not a final judgment. According to him, the order specifically restrained him, in his capacity as convenor, from convening meetings or exercising the powers of the post.

Pisharody also revealed that during the committee's brief tenure of around two weeks, its members were not handed the organisation's minutes book or even the keys to the offices of the president and secretary.

Addressing the controversy surrounding the leaked audio of his private conversation with Shwetha Menon, Pisharody said he was deeply disappointed that an attempt at reconciliation had been made public.

"I spoke to Shwetha, Ansiba, Tiny, their lawyers, Mallika Sukumaran and Lakshmipriya for hours because I genuinely believed these issues could be resolved amicably. What people are calling a leak is actually a release," he said, adding that the quality of the recording made it clear that it had been deliberately released.

He said his greatest disappointment was not the legal battle itself but that a private conversation held in good faith had been disclosed publicly.

"I was trying to bring everyone together. I have no personal grudge against anyone. The only thing that hurt me was that a conversation meant to resolve differences was released," he said.
Responding to questions about the legal dispute, Pisharody said he could have challenged the stay order by arguing that those who had resigned from both their office-bearer posts and primary membership could not continue exercising authority. However, he insisted he had no desire to fight in court merely to remain convenor.

"I don't want to cling to a position. Many members of AMMA are far more senior than I am. We have all worked hard over the years to build this organisation, and I have no intention of taking it back to court for my personal benefit," he said.

Pisharody also defended the circumstances that led to the formation of the ad hoc committee. According to him, the previous committee's authority ended after its financial accounts failed to receive the general body's approval. He argued that once all office-bearers announced their resignation together, the general body had the authority to take an interim decision to ensure the organisation continued functioning.

He maintained that the committee was formed solely to keep AMMA operational during an unprecedented situation and not as an attempt to hold on to power.

Reiterating that he remained an ordinary member of AMMA, Pisharody clarified that he was resigning only as convenor of the ad hoc committee and not from the organisation itself.
"I don't need a position to do good. We should stand by the organisation during difficult times, whether we hold a post or not. The court has issued its stay, so I am stepping aside. Let the organisation move forward in the best possible way," he said.