Fresh legal twist in AMMA row as Shwetha challenges Ansiba's impleadment

Kochi: The bitter infighting within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) has entered a new phase, with rival camps locking horns in court over the validity of the ad hoc committee formed after the association's stormy general body meeting.

AMMA president Shwetha Menon had earlier moved the Ernakulam Munsiff Court seeking a stay on the functioning of the ad hoc committee, alleging it was constituted in violation of the association's bylaws. The case, however, has widened after actor Ansiba Hassan sought to be impleaded as a party to the proceedings.

Shwetha has opposed the move, arguing that Ansiba has no locus standi as the petition concerns only the legality of the ad hoc committee. According to her, the case is limited to determining whether the committee was validly constituted and does not warrant Ansiba's intervention.

The Ernakulam Munsiff Court is scheduled to hear detailed arguments on the objections raised by Shwetha Menon to the impleadment plea.

Shwetha has also questioned why a different yardstick is being applied to her executive committee. She points out that when the executive committee led by Mohanlal stepped down, an ad hoc committee was constituted to run the association until fresh elections, with several members of the outgoing panel continuing in the interim body. She has argued that if the arrangement was considered acceptable then, there was no reason for her committee to be treated differently.

Shwetha also insists that she has no plans to quit the association and maintains that she will continue to fight from within AMMA.

When the petition came up for hearing earlier, the Ernakulam Munsiff Court directed actor Ramesh Pisharody to step down as convener of the ad hoc committee, following which he resigned from the post.

However, Pisharody is set to place his objections to the court's decision to completely restrain the functioning of the ad hoc committee. His objections are scheduled to be heard on July 27, the same day the court will also take up Shwetha Menon's petition for further consideration.

Meanwhile, the anticipatory bail plea filed by actor Tiny Tom in a case registered by the Kadavanthra police on a complaint lodged by actor Ansiba Hassan is pending before the court. He has been booked on serious charges of making remarks that allegedly promoted religious enmity. Although the police registered the case following a court directive, Ansiba has alleged that the police are yet to question or arrest him.

Ansiba has further claimed that police officers were not present at the station even when she turned up to record her statement and also raised doubts over whether the police were facilitating Tiny Tom's bid to secure anticipatory bail.

Tiny Tom, however, has dismissed the allegations as entirely false in his bail plea. He has maintained that he never made any remarks insulting Ansiba and alleged that the case against him has been fabricated.