'AMMA cannot be hijacked': Shwetha Menon says leadership should be decided through elections

Actor Shwetha Menon has broken her silence following the Ernakulam Munsiff Court's order staying the functioning of AMMA's ad hoc committee, thanking senior actors Mammootty and Mohanlal for urging her to stand her ground while asserting that the organisation's leadership should be decided only through elections.

In a social media post shared on Saturday, shortly after AMMA members Ansiba Hassan, Usha Haseena and Maala Parvathy addressed the media defending the ad hoc committee, Shwetha said the court had intervened to prevent what she described as an attempt by certain individuals to "hijack" the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) by exploiting internal disputes.

She expressed gratitude to Mammootty and Mohanlal for encouraging her not to resign and to fight the legal battle, while also thanking AMMA members who stood by her.

Shwetha maintained that the future of the organisation should be decided by its members and not by a handful of people. She said those who wished to become part of AMMA's leadership should do so by contesting elections, not by entering "through the back door" or by bypassing the democratic process.

AMMA has been facing one of its biggest internal crises in recent years. Since the executive committee led by Shwetha announced its resignation at the association's annual general body meeting, the organisation has been caught in a prolonged leadership dispute marked by legal challenges and public disagreements.

Two weeks after the executive committee's mass resignation, it emerged that neither Shwetha Menon nor her committee had officially submitted resignation letters to the association. Ad hoc committee convenor Ramesh Pisharody claimed that AMMA had not received any formal resignations through its official email ID.

On July 3, the Ernakulam Munsiff Court, hearing a petition filed by Shwetha, stayed the functioning of the ad hoc committee, observing that AMMA's bylaws contain no provision for constituting such a panel. The court also ruled that Shwetha could continue as president and directed the ad hoc committee not to interfere in the association's functioning.

Following the court's order, Pisharody resigned as convenor, saying he had no intention of holding on to the position or dragging the 32-year-old organisation into further legal disputes.

However, he defended the formation of the ad hoc committee, arguing that it came into existence only after all office-bearers announced their resignations at the general body meeting. According to Pisharody, the president had publicly declared that she was resigning not only from her post but also from AMMA's primary membership before leaving the venue, prompting the general body to appoint an interim panel to ensure the organisation continued to function.

The latest developments came even as members Ansiba Hassan, Usha Haseena and Maala Parvathy reiterated on Saturday that the executive committee led by Shwetha Menon had lost its mandate and should not be allowed to return to office, further highlighting the deepening divisions within the actors' body.