Sandra Thomas barred from contesting Producers’ Association polls; Ernakulam Court dismisses plea; actress-producer says, ‘Disappointing’

The Ernakulam Sub Court has dismissed the petition filed by actress and producer Sandra Thomas, effectively barring her from contesting for any office-bearer posts in the upcoming Kerala Film Producers’ Association elections.As reported by Asianet News, the verdict, delivered this week, came after Sandra challenged the rejection of her nomination for the post of president which was a decision taken earlier by the election’s returning officer.Sandra had entered the race for president, treasurer, and executive committee member. However, her nominations were rejected on eligibility grounds. The returning officer stated she had failed to submit the required number of independently produced films under her own banner. While Sandra argued she had produced nine films — seven under Friday Film House and two under her own company — officials insisted that only censor certificates for at least three films under her own banner would qualify. Of the certificates she submitted, one belonged to Friday Film House and was deemed ineligible.Reacting to the court’s decision, Sandra expressed disappointment on Facebook, calling the verdict “unexpected.” She said she would consult legal experts before deciding her next steps. In her petition, Sandra alleged that her nomination had been rejected “illegally” and accused returning officer Koshi George of acting on behalf of the current office-bearers. She had also sought to temporarily halt the election process and to remove the returning officer from overseeing proceedings.The dispute took another turn when producer-actor Vijay Babu issued a public statement questioning Sandra’s eligibility. In his Facebook post, he argued that she could not represent Friday Film House in the elections, as she had resigned from the company in 2016 after a notarised settlement, ending her association with the banner. He stressed that, under the rules, Sandra could only represent her own firm for an executive committee seat. Vijay Babu's Facebook note read, "Objection your honor … Sandra Thomas cannot represent Friday film house and contest to the posts she is not eligible for .. She may only represent her firm and contest to the post of executive committee for which she is anyways contesting . Who is objecting it . Wishing her all the very best too . As far as i am aware The censor is to the firm and not to individual . She represented friday film house for a while and resigned legally in 2016 ( all notorised by court ) after taking her share or more . She has nothing to do with friday film house since 10 years . Anyways let the court decide . Might be a new info for all of us too if it’s decided otherwise."