File photo of Nivin Pauly. (X)
Kerala police on Wednesday, 6 November, gave a clean chit to Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly in the sexual assault case against him.
In a report submitted to Kothamangalam First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, Oonukkal Police stated that Nivin was not present in the place and time at which the complainant alleged sexual assault.
The police also said that as Nivin didn’t commit the said crime, the charges against him should be dropped. The report was handed over to the court by Ernakulam Rural DySP TM Varghese.
Earlier, Director Vineeth Sreenivasan defended Nivin Pauly amid sexual assault allegations, providing an alibi for the actor and dismissing the complaint as false. Vineeth stated that Nivin was with him on the day the alleged incident took place.
“On 14 December 2023, Nivin was with me on the sets of Varshangalku Shesham. He remained with me until 3 AM, the following day (15 December). We were filming at Nucleus Mall in Ernakulam, where a large crowd had gathered. Later in the afternoon, we moved to Crowne Plaza, where we stayed until early morning. Afterwards, he went on to shoot for the web series Pharma, which was also being filmed in Kerala,” Vineeth explained in a phone conversation with a news channel.
Nivin also claimed then that the allegation against him was false and added that he would fight to bring the truth out.
He also alleged that the complaint was to defame him and there was a conspiracy behind it. Nivin also handed over a complaint to the State Police Chief demanding an investigation on that aspect.
Also Read: Nivin Pauly suspects conspiracy against him
The allegations
A case was registered at the Oonnukal police station in Ernakulam in September, based on the survivor’s statement to the SIT.
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed under various IPC sections, including 354 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman), 376D (gang rape), 354C (voyeurism), 450 (trespass), 342 (wrongful confinement), 376(2)(n) (repeated rape of the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
Nivin Pauly was named as the sixth accused in the case. The other accused include Shreya, film producer AK Sunil, Binu, Basheer, and Kuttan. The complainant alleged that the accused took her to Dubai after promising her a role in a film.
According to the police report filed against Nivin Pauly, the woman claimed that Pauly sexually abused her in Dubai.
The case was then transferred to the SIT specifically formed to address complaints pertaining to Mollywood since the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
