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The Neyyattinkara Sessions Court acquitted erstwhile Perumbavoor MLA, Eldhose Kunnappilly and 2 co-accused successful a high-profile rape and attempted execution lawsuit connected Tuesday.
The verdict came aft a melodramatic turnaround successful the proceedings a time ago, during which the complainant and 3 different important witnesses turned hostile a time ago. The complainant, a autochthonal of Thiruvananthapuram, altered her archetypal connection and testified that Mr. Kunnappilly had not sexually assaulted her.
The lawsuit dates backmost to an incidental that had occurred connected September 28, 2022. The pistillate had filed a ailment alleging that Mr. Kunnappilly, the past sitting MLA of Perumbavoor, had forcefully taken her to assorted locations, including Kovalam, a friend’s flat, and his residence successful Perumbavoor, and repeatedly assaulted her.
The Thiruvananthapuram District Crime Branch, which investigated the case, submitted the chargesheet successful May 2024. The probe squad had invoked charges pertaining to rape and attempted execution successful the lawsuit based connected allegations that the accused tried to propulsion the complainant of a hilltop.
Mr. Kunnappilly’s friends, Raneesha and Sippy Noordeen, the co-accused successful the case, were charged with transgression intimidation for allegedly threatening the pistillate to retreat her complaint.
The ineligible conflict reportedly prompted the Congress enactment enactment to contradict him a spot to contention from Perumbavoor successful the caller Assembly elections.
Reacting to the verdict, Mr. Kunnappilly said that helium ever had eventual religion that his innocence would beryllium proven. He besides dismissed claims that the enactment wronged him by denying a spot to contention astatine the polls.
