Actor Paul Shah | image courtesy: Rupesh Thapa
The District Court in Tanahun, Nepal has acquitted actor Paul Shah of the charges of raping a minor. District Court Judge Kamal Prasad Acharya made the decision on Tuesday, citing lack of sufficient evidence to prove Shah’s guilt. The court’s Registrar, Min Bahadur Kunwar, confirmed that Shah was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In a separate case in the District Court in Nawalparasi East, Shah was found guilty of raping a minor and was handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence. The court also ordered Shah to pay a compensation of 1 million Nepalese rupees to the victim. The victim’s lawyers had filed cases against Shah in both the Tanahun and Nawalparasi districts.
Shah was accused of raping a girl under the age of 18, which is a crime under Nepalese law, even if it was done with the victim’s consent. Shah surrendered to the police on February 27, 2022, after the victim filed a police report against him.
In February 2022, a 17-year-old female singer filed a complaint accusing 32-year-old actor Paul Shah of raping her in both the Tanahun and Nawalparasi (East) districts of Nepal. Following the complaint, Shah was arrested on February 27, 2022 at the District Police Office in Tanahun.
The victim also filed an additional case against Shah at the Area Police Office in Gaindakot, Nawalparasi. In March 2022, the Tanahun District Court ordered for Shah to be placed in judicial custody for further investigation into the allegations.
