The sister of popular Malayalam actor Dileep has taken legal action against a television channel for what she describes as a severe breach of her family's privacy. S. Jayalakshmi Suraj filed an official police complaint at the Aluva police station, accusing the channel of conducting illegal aerial surveillance using drones at the actor's private residence.
Details of the Alleged Privacy Invasion
According to the complaint submitted to the Station House Officer in Aluva, the incident occurred on 8 December 2025. On that day, drones were allegedly deployed to capture private visuals of the family, including women and children, at Dileep's home named 'Padmasarovaram' in Aluva. These visuals were later broadcast on television.
Jayalakshmi Suraj stated that the surveillance was conducted without obtaining any consent or prior permission from the household members. She emphasized that their residence is a private space and no media organization possesses the authority to execute aerial surveillance over it. The complaint highlights that the drone usage coincided with the day a court verdict in a case involving Dileep was delivered, with media personnel also recording his departure from and return to his home.
Legal Sections Invoked and Demands for Action
The legal complaint frames the actions of the channel and its personnel under specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) 2023. The cited sections include:
- Section 329 (Criminal trespass)
- Section 351 (Criminal intimidation)
- Section 270 (Public nuisance)
Jayalakshmi argued that the timing and method of the drone operation clearly indicated an intention to illegally gather and broadcast footage for commercial gain, constituting a direct intrusion into the family's private life. She wrote that this caused "irreparable harm to the dignity, safety, and well-being of the women and children present in the house."
In her complaint, she has requested a thorough investigation into the matter. She has also asked the police to seize all equipment used in the alleged illegal surveillance, including the drones, memory cards, storage devices, and related gear.
Call for Immediate Legal Consequences
Jayalakshmi Suraj has urged the police to take prompt action against all individuals involved. She stressed that such blatant violations of privacy should not go unpunished and that the culprits must be brought before the law. Concluding her complaint, she explicitly stated, "Immediate action is expected."
This case brings to the forefront the ongoing debate about media ethics, the boundaries of journalistic pursuit, and the right to privacy of individuals, especially public figures and their families within their personal spaces.
