Malayalam actor Dileep acquitted in 2017 Kerala actor assault and abduction case

Actor Dileep, an accused in the sensational Kerala actor rape case, has been acquitted of all the criminal charges levelled against him, reports PTI. The verdict was pronounced by the Principal District and Sessions Court in Ernakulam. The case dates back to 2017 when a leading Malayalam actor was abducted and allegedly molested in a moving car in Ernakulam by six men, who also video-recorded the act to blackmail her later. The survivor approached the police the next day, and the case soon led to the arrest of the alleged mastermind and actor-producer, Dileep. The case stretched for nearly eight years.

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On Monday, Kerala court acquitted the popular Malayalam actor Dileep in 2017 actress assault case. The court delivered the judgment against 10 accused who remain on trial — excluding those discharged or who later turned approvers.
According to news agency PTI, the actress-victim, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours on the night of February 17, 2017, by some persons who forced their way into the vehicle and later escaped in a busy area of Kochi.

During further investigation, Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017, after the probe team found that the prime accused Suni had allegedly sent a letter to him from jail. Dileep was granted bail on October 3, 2017. In November 2017, police filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven more persons, including Dileep. Five of them were later discharged or turned approvers.

What did the prosecution say?

The prosecution claims that the complainant informed Dileep’s first wife, Manju Warrier, of his affairs with another actress. There was a fight between the complainant and Dileep over this during the rehearsal of a stage event in 2016, according to PTI.
Like the case itself, the trial too witnessed several twists and turns. In 2019, Dileep approached the Kerala High Court seeking a CBI probe, but the plea was dismissed. In 2019, the Supreme Court directed that the trial be completed in a six-month period. However, frequent petitions before higher courts by the accused, the prosecution and the complainant delayed proceedings, and the trial finally began only in January 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic halted proceedings for several months.
(With PTI inputs)