Alappuzha (Kerala) | Police have registered a case against Malayalam actor Vinayakan for allegedly publishing the photograph of an eight-year-old girl online in Mavelikara here, officials said on Thursday.
According to police, the case was registered on Wednesday after the girl's father approached the Kerala State Commission for Child Rights, which directed the police to take necessary action on the complaint.
Officials said the girl's father, a resident under the Mavelikara police station limits, attended a hearing before the Commission recently.
According to the FIR, on July 23, 2025, at around 7.10 pm, the complainant forwarded to Vinayakan via WhatsApp a Facebook post made by another person against the actor.
"Out of enmity over forwarding the said Facebook post, Vinayakan took a screenshot of the WhatsApp message sent by the complainant at around 2 am on July 24, 2025. Along with it, he also took a screenshot of the complainant's WhatsApp profile photo, which featured his eight-year-old daughter. Vinayakan then circulated these screenshots, along with the complainant's mobile phone number, through his verified Facebook account without the complainant's permission," the FIR alleged.
The FIR further alleged that several unidentified persons shared Vinayakan's Facebook post and posted offensive comments insulting and defaming the complainant and his family.
"Believing it to be Vinayakan's mobile phone number after seeing it on his Facebook post, several individuals called the complainant on his mobile phone and verbally abused him. This caused significant defamation, mental agony and distress to the complainant, his daughter and his family," the FIR said.
Mavelikara police said the case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to defamation and intrusion intended to insult the modesty of a woman or invade her privacy, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Kerala Police Act.
Police said the investigation has begun, and Vinayakan's statement will be recorded.
This is not the first time Vinayakan has courted controversy, as several cases have been registered against him for defamation and public nuisance.
