Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Manjummel Boys producers Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony. The Maradu police had booked them on charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The bail application, filed by the trio, was allowed by the court despite strong opposition from the Public Prosecutor, who argued that a prima facie case had been established and the accused were attempting to portray the issue as a civil dispute to avoid payments.

The case was filed by Siraj Valiyathara Hameed, who alleged that he had invested ₹7 crore in the film Manjummel Boys, under an agreement that promised him 40% of the profits. Despite the film’s commercial success, Hameed claimed he was not paid the profits as agreed.

In response, the petitioners argued that the matter was a commercial dispute wrongly framed as a criminal case to exert pressure for payment.

The court took note of the arguments and background, including the fact that the petitioners had earlier sought anticipatory bail, which was disposed of due to an interim stay granted in a Criminal Miscellaneous Case (Crl.M.C.). The court had permitted the petitioners to file a fresh bail plea if the Crl.M.C. was dismissed, which was subsequently the case.
(With LiveLaw inputs)