The Kerala High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the legal proceedings and quash the FIR registered against actor Aju Verghese for revealing the identity of the actress who was assaulted in a moving car in Kochi on February 17.

The court said it cannot interfere in police investigation. “Merely by reaching a settlement with the actress, the case against the accused does not cease to exist,” the court said.

The FIR was filed following a complaint filed by a native of Kalamassery in Ernakulam. The court has also sent a notice to the complainant.

Aju had mentioned the name of the actress in a facebook post while defending actor Dileep. However, the removed the victim’s name from his post and tendered an apology following strong criticism from every corner.