Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko has been acquitted in a 10-year-old drug case after the court found no solid evidence against him. The case which dates back in 2015, incolved allegations of drug possession and consumption. Alongwith Shine Tom Chacko, seven others were also cleared of charges by the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court.
In January 2015, police had conducted a raid on an apartment in the Kadavanthra area of Kochi on suspecting illegal drug activities. During the search, they reportedly seized cocaine and arrested Shine Tom Chacko and four women present at the location. three others were accused of supplying drugs to the group. All of them were charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrophic Substances (NPDS) Act.
After their arrest, Shine and the others back then spent two months in jail before released on bail in March 2015. The trial which began in 2018 examined nearly 25 witnesses and various pieces of evidence to determine the validity of the accusations.
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The Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court ruled in favor of the accused, citing a lack of scientific proof. Blood samples taken from Shine Tom Chacko and the others tested negative for drug consumption. Additionally, forensic reports from labs in Delhi and Hyderabad did not confirm the presence of cocaine in their systems. The prosecution also failed to establish a direct link between the accused and the drugs found in the apartment.
Chacko has not yet made an official statement regarding his acquittal. However, he previously spoke about his time in jail recalling how he coped by reading books and staying hopeful about his future in films.
Despite the legal battle, Shine Tom Chacko has continued working in the Malayalam film industry. He was recently seen in Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse and will appear in L2: Empuraan and Bazooka.
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