In a significant legal development, the Kerala High Court has issued an order mandating police protection for Monalisa Bhosle due to threats she claims to have received following her interfaith marriage to Mohammed Farman Khan. This decision was delivered by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas on Friday in the case titled Monalisa v. State of Kerala & Anr.
Justice Thomas, upon reviewing the arguments presented by the counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader, expressed preliminary satisfaction that Monalisa’s life required safeguarding. Consequently, the court instructed the Station House Officer of the Central Police Station in Ernakulam to ensure her protection until the writ petition is resolved. The matter has been scheduled for further proceedings on July 10.
Monalisa first garnered national attention during the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, where she went viral for selling prayer beads. Following this, she entered the film industry and married actor Mohammed Farman Khan on March 11, 2026, in Kerala. Their marriage was duly registered under the Kerala Registration of Marriage (Common) Rules, 2008.
However, once their union became public, Monalisa alleged that they became the target of a hate campaign on social media, where protestors even resorted to burning and beating photographs of the couple, with these distressing visuals circulating widely online. She reported receiving threatening messages, including one ominous text stating she would be shot for marrying a ‘Pakistani’, highlighting the communal tensions surrounding her marriage.
Despite lodging complaints with the local police and the City Police Commissioner, Monalisa claimed she continued to live in fear, which also hindered her acting career. Her plea for police protection is part of a broader legal saga that has unfolded since her marriage.
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In a related development, a criminal case was filed in Madhya Pradesh, alleging that Monalisa was only 16 at the time of her marriage, based on a complaint by her father. To address this, Monalisa and her husband sought anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court. The court granted Mohammed Farman Khan a one-month reprieve from arrest to allow him to request anticipatory bail in Madhya Pradesh.
There are also ongoing proceedings in a Thiruvananthapuram POCSO Court regarding the legality of their marriage, in addition to a separate petition filed by the couple in the Madhya Pradesh High Court alleging manipulation of Monalisa’s age records.
Monalisa’s legal representation includes Advocates PS Anishad, Limna Bhaskaran, Sreeparvathi GV, Samuel Sabu, KK Preetha, and Siyad Ummer.
