The Kerala High Court closed an appeal pertaining to the plea by the father of Afan – the accused in the Venjaramoodu mass murder case – to restrain the release of a film, which he claimed is based on the incident.

The appeal against an earlier order in which the High Court had refused to interfere with the release of the film, had been filed by his father Abdal Rahim. In the appeal, he alleged that the release of the film Kaalam Paranja Kadha, directed by Prasad Nooranad, would result in media trial, influence witnesses and affect Afan’s right to a fair trial. He further contended that the release would ‘damage the reputation and dignity of the family’.

On Thursday, the appellant submitted that the appeal had become infructuous, since the film had already been released. He then sought to withdraw the appeal, based on which the court dismissed it as ‘withdrawn’.