The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, February 9, withdrew the stay order in relation to a case of  sexual assault which was registered against Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan in 2018. According to reports, the stay on further proceedings in the case was withdrawn after the woman told the court that she had not agreed to or signed any documents agreeing for an out of court settlement with regard to the case. Unni Mukundan was represented by lawyer Saiby Jose, the former president of the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA). Saiby, however quit after he was accused of collecting money from his clients under the guise of settling cases by bribing High Court judges. The vigilance wing of the court that is probing Saiby found that some of the allegations against him were true. It had been alleged that a client from the film industry had paid Saiby Rs 25 lakhs. Saiby had represented others too from the industry. 

In Unni Mukundan’s case, it has been reported that Saiby had submitted a document to the court stating that the survivor had agreed to an out of court settlement, which she has denied. The court, after recording the survivor’s statement, had observed that this was a serious issue, and that Saiby is answerable to the charges. The court also came down heavily on Saiby for attempting to fabricate the documents and misleading the court. 

A case was registered against Mukundan in September, 2017 by a woman scriptwriter, accusing the actor of having molested her while she went to his residence for a script reading. The alleged incident took place on August 23, 2017. Later, Unni Mukundan alleged that the woman had not completed the script and had made up the sexual assault charge. He too filed a case against her.