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Kerala actor assault case: High court denies bail to main accused
The prosecution opposed main accused Pulsar Suni’s bail citing his criminal background and possibility to influence some of the witnesses in the Kerala actor assault case.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala high court on Tuesday denied bail to the main accused in the actor abduction and assault case, Pulsar Suni, saying the case is at a crucial stage and he cannot be released now.
Suni was arrested a week after the abduction and assault of a woman actor on February 17, 2017 in Kochi. A history- sheeter with five other cases, he has been in jail since his arrest. Malayalam actor Dileep was also made an accused in the case later and he was arrested six months after the incident.
The prosecution opposed Suni’s bail citing his criminal background and possibility to influence some of the witnesses. But the petitioner contended that he was facing serious threat even in jail that prompted him to apply for bail. He said since many bigwigs in Malayalam film industry were involved in the crime, there was a move to silence him in jail. He also cited the recent bail to second accused Martin Antony, driver of the woman actor, by the Supreme Court.
But the single bench headed by justice P V Kunhikrishnan agreed with the contention of the prosecution and denied bail to him. When the trial in the first case was almost over, the crime branch filed another case against Dileep and four others in January after the disclosure of director Balachandra Kumar. Kumar said he was privy to a conversation in Dileep’s house to annihilate some of the police officers who probed the case.
Meanwhile crime branch officials continued to question Dileep for the second day. The high court has directed to complete the trial in the second case by April 15. Last week Dileep moved a division bench of the high court to quash the new case. Now Dileep is facing two cases, actor abduction and assault case and th alleged conspiracy to harm police officials.
