Kochi: A court here on Monday acquitted notorious fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal in a case related to the sexual assault on his maid's minor daughter in which his makeup man Joshi is the key accused. The antique dealer was named as second accused in the POCSO case. As per the case, Mavunkal is facing charges of hiding the sexual assault and not intervening to prevent the crime. During the hearing on Monday, the court convicted Joshi in the case.

In 2023,  Ernakulam District POCSO court found Monson guilty of sexually assaulting the same girl and awarded a triple life term to him in another case registered by the police. According to the chargesheet filed by DySP YR Rustom, Mavunkal sexually abused and assaulted a minor girl on multiple occasions in 2019.

The court found Mavunkal guilty under various sections (7,8) of the POCSO Act. Apart from this, sections of the Indian Penal Code, 370 (trafficking a minor girl), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 354 A (sexual harassment and punishment), 376 (rape), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent) and 506 (criminal intimidation) were also invoked. The special court slapped the accused with 13 sections of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act. 

Around 14 criminal cases, including fraud, are registered against Monson.