TAB IANS Unni Mukundan-1684842672719
Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan Image Credit: IANS

Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan suffered yet another setback on May 23 when the Kerala High Court directed the trial against him in a sexual assault case.

In February, the High Court had lifted the stay granted by it previously on the trial proceedings against him in the same case.

The court had expressed its displeasure after the counsel for the complainant claimed that a forged affidavit was filed by the actor which says a settlement had been reached between him and the woman.

Initially, the court had granted the stay on being informed about the settlement.

The affidavit that was supposedly signed by the woman was submitted by Mukundan, through advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor, presently caught in a case where he is alleged to have taken huge sums of money from clients to give as bribes to judges.

Later the complainant said that there was no settlement arrived at all and the court on May 23 pointed out this.

The trial court proceeding against Mukundan was initiated after the woman lodged a complaint in 2017 accusing the actor of sexual harassment. The alleged incident is said to have taken place in Kochi when the woman visited the actor for a film project.