Kerala Court Clears Actor Dileep In Actress Assault Case
By Hanika Kashyap
The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday acquitted actor Dileep in the high-profile 2017 case linked to the abduction and assault of a Malayalam actress. He had long faced allegations of planning the attack and bringing together the group accused of executing it.
At the same time, Honey M. Varghese, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions judge, convicted N.S. Sunil (Pulsar Suni) and the other accused, Martin Antony, B. Manikandan, V.P. Vijeesh, H. Salim (Vadiwal Salim), and Pradeep, on all charges, including gang rape. The court will declare their sentences on Friday, December 12.
The judge delivered its verdict after years of hearings that included many witnesses, high-profile testimonies, and multiple legal hurdles.
Speaking to the reporters, the Malayalam actor expressed his gratitude to his supporters and the ones “who stood with me.” He also stated that the verdict has relieved him.
The case records state that Pulsar Suni, along with five others, forcibly entered the popular actress’s vehicle in Kochi on the night of February 17, 2017, on her way from Thrissur to Kochi. The group hijacked her car by faking an accident at 9:15 pm at Athani. The accused then found their opening and wrongfully entered the actress’s vehicle. After confining her, they sexually assaulted her and recorded the obscene act.
The six were found guilty of a range of charges, with Dileep’s name emerging as the eighth accused. The accusations ultimately did not prove him guilty.
Much like any other high-profile case, the proceedings in this case began on March 8, 2018. It had over 261 witnesses, including many prominent film actors. At least 28 of them even turned hostile while being examined.
Two prosecutors stepped down during the case, and the survivor’s attempts to change the presiding judge were rejected by higher courts. In the end, the prosecution placed 833 documents and 142 items of evidence before the court, while the defence submitted 221 documents. The witness examination itself stretched across 438 days.