Kerala State Film Award 2023 Controversy: High Court Dismisses Plea Seeking Cancellation Of Award Announcement

Kerala State Film Award 2023 Controversy: In a recent legal development, the High Court rejected a plea aimed at annuling the State Film Award announcement.

The court's decision was based on the lack of evidence supporting claims that Director Ranjith, who also holds the position of Chairman at the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, had interfered with the award selection process.

Justice Basant Balaji instructed the government to provide an explanation on the issue today. Additionally, the petitioner had lodged an application to include the secretary of the culture department, per court order, as a party in the case.

In addition to this, the petitioner had requested the inclusion of director Vinayan, jury member Jency Gregory, and Nemom Pushparaj as parties in the case. These individuals had responded to the controversy and presented evidence.

Nepotism Allegations and Minister's Response Amid Film Award Controversy

The heart of the petition's allegations lies in the claim that nepotism influences award determinations. The petitioner asserted that there was substantial evidence of Chairman Ranjith's interference in the award announcement process, advocating for his removal from the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy's chairman position.

The crux of the petitioner's argument rested on the assertion that Ranjith, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, had unduly influenced jury members and thwarted deserving recipients from receiving the award. The petition further cited the audio conversation involving Nemom Pushparaj, released by film director Vinayan, as evidence of Ranjith's nepotistic behaviour.

Director Vinayan claimed to possess evidence that Ranjith had employed underhanded tactics to prevent his film from receiving an award. Meanwhile, Culture Minister Saji Cherian refuted Vinayan's complaints against the film award decision. Cherian clarified that Ranjith, as the Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, had not interfered in the award decision process, thus confirming that there would be no alteration to the award outcome.