Kerala actress assault case: Dileep acquitted, first six accused convicted
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Dileep Photograph: (X)
In the latest turn of events, actor Dileep has been found not guilty in the Kerala actress assault case, while six others have been convicted. Read to know more details.
The long-awaited verdict in the 2017 actress abduction and sexual assault case is finally out. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, presided over by Judge Honey M. Varghese, pronounced the verdict in the high-profile case on Monday, i.e., December 8.
Kerala Assault case verdict announced
Reportedly, eight years after the attack, the six accused, including Pulsar Suni, were held guilty in the 2017 actress assault case. Actor Dileep, who has been listed as the eighth accused in the case, was acquitted as the prosecution couldn't prove the conspiracy charges against him.
All about the 2017 Kerala actress assault case
The case began in February 2017 when an actress was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted on the outskirts of Kochi inside a moving car. Reportedly, the crime was done by a gang which was led by Sunil Kumar, aka Pulsar Suni, who is the first accused. Moreover, it was allegedly reported on camera. As per the report, during this period, the survivor was later abandoned outside a film director's residence, and the assailants later fled.
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Soon after, the news spread like wildfire and shook everyone in the film industry. The investigation moved forward, and on July 10, 2017, actor Dileep was arrested. Reportedly, he was accused of orchestrating the crime due to the personal animosity. He was in jail for 88 days, and later the actor called the allegations consistently baseless.
Trial of eight years
The trial formally started under the leadership of Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese on January 30, 2020. Her appointment to the case was itself a point of contention, and the survivor and the state government petitioned twice for her removal, alleging bias. However, it was dismissed by both the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court.
South Indian actor Dileep's wife, Kavya Madhavan, was questioned by the Kerala police on Monday in connection with the 2017 abduction case of a prominent actress. SP Mohanachandran and Dy SP Baiju Paulose of Kerala Police were present to take Kavya's statement. The questioning reportedly went on for 4 hours.
Incidentally, Paulose was the one who led the 2017 actress abduction case probe, while Mohanachandran is at present leading the case in which Dileep is an accused and out on bail after his former friend and director Balachandrakumar came out in the open and claimed that Dileep had said that he would eliminate police officials who had investigated the case.
After the case sparked outrage among netizens, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) and various women's organisations, the Kerala government established the Hema Committee in 2019 to investigate issues of workplace harassment and gender discrimination. Though the report was submitted the same year, it was not made public until August 2024, heavily redacted to protect identities, which sparked another outrage.
