Now Reading: Kerala High Court quashes ₹1.9 crore cheating case against Nivin Pauly
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Kerala High Court quashes ₹1.9 crore cheating case against Nivin Pauly
The Story in Brief
The Kerala High Court on Monday, 26 October, quashed a cheating case of ₹1.9 crore against actor Nivin Pauly and director Abrid Shine after noting a settlement with complainant and producer PS Shamnas. Justice PV Balakrishnan observed the offences were not serious and chances of conviction were bleak. The court also quashed a separate forgery case against Shamnas over allegations he forged Pauly’s signature in documents submitted to the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce.
Shamnas had alleged that after losses from the film ‘Mahaveeryar’, he was promised a co-producer role in ‘Action Hero Biju 2’ and overseas rights profits. He claimed the rights were later transferred without his consent and sold to a Dubai firm for ₹5 crore. The court allowed all pleas after the public prosecutor confirmed the settlement was genuine.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both LiveLaw and Barandbench cover the quashing of the criminal cases identically as straight court reporting. Each leads with the settlement, attributes the court's reasoning verbatim, and gives the same rival complaint details. The only difference is the investment figure: LiveLaw reports the allegation as ₹3.5 to 4 crore for 'Mahaveeryar' and notes the ₹1.9 crore fraud figure, Barandbench compresses the investment into the ₹1.9 crore claim. Both are purely procedural, without any editorial stance or commentary. The uniform coverage reflects the court's own undisputed order. The story leaves open whether the overseas rights dispute will lead to further civil claims, since only criminal proceedings were quashed.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): livelaw.in (neutral report), barandbench.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
