Actor Manju Warrier lodges police complaint against director Menon alleging threat to life
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23: Popular Malayalam actress Manju Warrier has lodged a police complaint against ad filmmaker-turned director Shrikumar Menon for allegedly threatening and defaming her through social media.
Menon, who had helmed the advertisements of several popular brands with Warrier in the lead role, entered tinsel town last year by directing the Mohanlal-Manju Warrier starrer "Odiyan", which failed to take off at the box office.
State police chief Loknath Behera on Tuesday confirmed here that he had received the "Asuran" actress' complaint and said necessary action would be taken after examining the complaint in detail.
However, his office was tight-lipped about the content of the complaint.
"The complaint, received by the DGP, has been handed over to a special investigation team for further action," an official at the police headquarters here told PTI.
According to local media reports, the award-winning actress levelled grave charges against Shrikumar Menon and one of his journalist friends.
She alleged that the director had threatened her and some of her close friends and tried to defame her by orchestrating a hate campaign against her on the social media, the reports said.
It also said that Warrier had handed over some digital evidence to the investigators to prove her point.
However, Shrikumar Menon, in a Facebook post, said he came to know about the police complaint only through media reports and he would cooperate with the investigation.
Unleashing a scathing attack against the actress, he said she had forgotten all the help and support he had offered during her second coming in the Malayalam industry after several years.
He also alleged that she had only Rs 1,500 in her account when she had left her home and it was he who had given her a cheque of Rs 25 lakh as advance payment of her first advertisement.
The actress has also sent a letter to the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) about her police complaint against Menon and sought the support of the outfit.
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US SEC summons Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar in bribery case
New York (PTI): Adani group founder and chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar have been summoned to explain their stand on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allegation of paying USD 265 million (Rs 2,200 crore) in bribes to secure lucrative solar power contracts.
Summons have been sent to Adani's Shantivan Farm residence in Ahmedabad and his nephew Sagar's Bodakdev residence in the same city for a reply to SEC within 21 days.
"Within 21 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it)...you must serve on the plaintiff (SEC) an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," said a November 21 notice sent through the New York Eastern District Court.
"If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court," it added.
Gautam Adani, 62, and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, allegedly agreed to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years, according to an indictment unsealed in a New York court on Wednesday.
Separate from the indictment brought by the US Department of Justice, the US SEC has also charged the two and Cyril Cabanes, an executive of Azure Power Global, for "conduct arising out of a massive bribery scheme".
The ports-to-energy conglomerate has denied the allegations and said it will seek all possible legal resources.
"The Adani Group has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations. We assure our stakeholders, partners and employees that we are a law-abiding organisation fully compliant with all laws."
An indictment in the US is basically a formal written allegation originating with a prosecutor and issued by a grand jury against a party charged with a crime. A person indicted is given formal notice to reply.
That person or persons can then hire a defence lawyer to defend.
Prosecutors said the investigation started in 2022 and found the inquiry obstructed.
They also allege that the Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies, as well as reports of the bribery probe.
"As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and... lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors," US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement announcing the charges on Wednesday.
"My office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets."
