(Image source from: Bbc.com)
A court in Kerala announced on Monday that Malayalam actor Dileep was found not guilty in the case of the assault on another actor in 2017 because the prosecution couldn't prove he was involved in the alleged criminal plot. However, the court did convict six others for charges like conspiracy, wrongful confinement, assault, abduction, attempting to undress, and gang rape. The decision was made by Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese at eleven in the morning. After hearing the verdict, Dileep expressed gratitude to those who stood by him during the past nine years and claimed that the accusations against him were the result of a "criminal conspiracy" initially mentioned by his ex-wife, actress Manju Warrier. He stated that a senior police officer and a team later "carried out" this plan, creating a false story using the main accused and his associates, while also exploiting the media and social media platforms to spread the story, saying it aimed to ruin his reputation and life but ultimately backfired in court.
He said, "The police collaborated with the main accused (Pulsar Suni) and his fellow inmates to create a made-up story against me. They worked with some media outlets and shared this false narrative on social media. But this false story collapsed in court. The real plot was aimed at me. Over nearly nine years, my reputation in society and my life has been destroyed." This case is about the kidnapping and reported sexual assault of a well-known Malayalam actress that took place in her car for almost two hours in Kochi on February 17, 2017.
There were ten defendants in total, including Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, Sanil Kumar also known as Mesthri Sanil, and Sharath, who all faced a trial in this matter. Every accused was charged with various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which included charges for conspiracy, kidnapping, sexual assault, gang rape, tampering with evidence, and common intention, along with aspects of the Information Technology Act.
Dileep, who was labeled as accused number 8, also faced another charge related to destroying evidence. The police submitted the initial chargesheet in April 2017. Dileep was arrested in July of that year after investigators claimed that the main accused, Pulsar Suni, had written him a letter from jail. He was later released on bail in October 2017. A supplementary chargesheet was submitted later in 2017, while some of the accused were either cleared of charges or became state witnesses. In 2018, Dileep requested a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry, alleging unfair treatment by the Kerala Police. This request was denied, with the court stating that an accused could not pick the investigating agency. His appeal was also turned down by a Division Bench earlier this year, indicating that the trial was close to finishing.
In 2021, further inquiries were initiated after filmmaker Balachandra Kumar claimed that Dileep had recordings of the attack. Additionally, another case was filed that accused someone of plotting to harm those investigating the matter. In 2022, there were claims of unauthorized access to the memory card stored in court, which resulted in a fact-finding investigation ordered by the High Court and new rules for managing sexually explicit materials.
During the trial, 261 witnesses were called to testify, including many people from the film industry, most of whom later changed their statements. The officer in charge of the investigation was questioned over 109 days. The court accepted 834 pieces of evidence and also heard testimonies from two defense witnesses. Sadly, two important witnesses, former MLA PT Thomas and director Balachandra Kumar, passed away while the trial was ongoing.
