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A court in Ernakulam has issued an interim injunction restraining the makers and distributors of the web series Anali from releasing, publishing, streaming or otherwise disseminating content that identifies a character with Jolly Amma Joseph. Jolly, currently facing trial in the murders of her family members, had approached the court stating that the series creates an impression about her being guilty of the alleged crimes before a court verdict on the cases.
The interim order was issued by the Additional Munsiff Court I, Ernakulam, in an interlocutory application filed by Jolly in a civil suit. The order, dated August 20, Thursday, names several respondents, including the production companies associated with the series, its creators, and social media and streaming platforms.
According to the order, the restraint applies to the web series Anali and promotional material connected to it, insofar as such content identifies the petitioner with the principal female character and portrays her as the person responsible for the alleged offences that form the subject matter of the case.
The court has specifically restrained the respondents from releasing, publishing, exhibiting, streaming, circulating, uploading, hosting, reproducing, sharing or otherwise disseminating such content.
Jolly, who is currently lodged in a women's prison, is facing criminal proceedings in connection with the deaths of members of her family in the Koodathayi cyanide poisoning case. The case had attracted widespread public attention and was later adapted into various fictional and non-fictional works.
The order was passed on an application filed by Jolly on August 19, 2026. The court considered the petition and supporting affidavit before granting the interim relief.
The injunction does not, on the face of the order, prohibit the entire web series from being released or distributed. The restriction is specifically directed at content that, according to the petitioner, identifies her with the lead female character and presents her as the actual culprit.
The respondents include Dharmatic Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Asiaville Studios, Chambers Mithun Manuel, Manuel Movie Makers and technology platforms including Meta Platforms Technologies India, X Corp and Google LLC (YouTube).
Earlier in March 2026, the Kerala High Court had declined to halt the release or streaming of Anali on JioHotstar.
Jollyamma Joseph, who is in jail in connection with the Koodathayi deaths, had alleged that the series drew substantially from the incidents linked to the criminal cases against her and could damage her reputation and prejudice her trial. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas declined to entertain her plea, noting that she had an alternative remedy under Rule 12 of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and allowed her to pursue that route.
The alternative remedy under Rule 12 of the IT Rules allows an aggrieved person to pursue a grievance through the prescribed digital media oversight mechanism after the platform’s grievance process is exhausted. The mechanism can recommend measures including a warning, disclaimer, reclassification or modification of content, and in certain cases, deletion or alteration of the material.
