Unni Mukundan's plea to quash FIR against him in sexual harassment case rejected by HC

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by actor Unni Mukundan seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in connection with a sexual assault case. The court also allowed the prosecution to go ahead with the trial proceedings against the actor in the lower court in the case pertaining to outraging the modesty of a woman script writer in 2017. Justice K Babu rejected the petition filed by Unni Mukundan to acquit him from the case.

The High Court had in February vacated the stay granted by it earlier on the trial proceedings against the actor, after the woman denied claims that she agreed to out-of-court settlement. The court had observed that if the stay order was secured by submitting a false affidavit, it is a "very serious" matter. Saiby Jose Kidangoor, who is facing a probe into allegations of bribery to settle the court cases, is representing Mukundan. 

All about the case

Back in 2018, a woman lodged a complaint against the popular Malayalam actor. She accused Unni Mukundan of attempted molestation during a film project disussion held at a flat in Edappally, Kochi. Allegedly, the woman immediately after the incident filed a complaint againt the actor and requested police protection. The woman further sought the cancellation of Unni Mukundan's bail, which was granted previously.

On the other hand, Unni Mukundan reportedly claimed that the woman lodged a false complaint against him. He alleged that she was doing so only to extort money from him and to damage his reputation. The dismissal of the High Court comes as a setback for the actor.

About Unni Mukundan 

Unni Mukundan, 35, made his acting debut with the 2011 Tamil film Seedan, which was a remake of the 2002 film Nandanam. The actor got his breakthrough with his lead role in the 2012 action comedy film Mallu Singh. The actor is also known for his films  Vikramadhithyan, KL 10 Patthu, Style.  

(With inputs from PTI)