The Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court will deliver its verdict in the 2017 actress kidnapping and sexual assault case, in which Malayalam actor Dileep is the eighth accused, on December 8.
The verdict, set to be pronounced by Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese, comes eight years after the trial began in the case and after multiple reminders by the Supreme Court to expedite the case. The complainant had moved the higher courts twice demanding the replacement of the judge, leading to disruptions.
The case pertains to the kidnapping and rape of a woman actor in a moving car on the outskirts of Kochi on February 17, 2017 by a gang led by Sunil Kumar, alias ‘Pulsar’ Suni, the first accused in the case. The sexual assault was also allegedly videographed.
Actor Dileep, who faces charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping among others, is accused of orchestrating the attack on the woman actor as a result of a grudge he held against her for allegedly being involved in his break-up and eventual divorce with actress Manju Warrier. There was also allegedly an altercation between Dileep and the woman actor on the sidelines of a rehearsal of a stage show. Dileep was arrested in July 2017 by the Kerala police and spent 88 days in prison before securing bail in the case.
The trial in the case was also rocked mid-way by revelations by director Balachandra Kumar that he saw Dileep watching the visuals of the sexual assault on his phone at his residence in Aluva. He had also testified and told the media that he had seen Sunil Kumar at Dileep’s residence and that the actor had conspired to endanger the lives of police officers including Dy SP Baiju Poulose, who was in-charge of the case at the time. A new FIR was lodged against Dileep based on the director’s claims. Apart from Dileep and Sunil Kumar, the other accused in the case are Martin Antony, B Manikandan, VP Vijeesh, Salim, Pradeep, Charley Thomas and Sanil.
{{/usCountry}}The trial in the case was also rocked mid-way by revelations by director Balachandra Kumar that he saw Dileep watching the visuals of the sexual assault on his phone at his residence in Aluva. He had also testified and told the media that he had seen Sunil Kumar at Dileep’s residence and that the actor had conspired to endanger the lives of police officers including Dy SP Baiju Poulose, who was in-charge of the case at the time. A new FIR was lodged against Dileep based on the director’s claims. Apart from Dileep and Sunil Kumar, the other accused in the case are Martin Antony, B Manikandan, VP Vijeesh, Salim, Pradeep, Charley Thomas and Sanil.
{{/usCountry}}The court considered around 1700 documents and 261 witnesses, many of whom turned hostile. The proceedings were conducted in-camera, considering the sensitivity of the case.
The case brought sweeping changes in the Malayalam film industry including the ouster of Dileep from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), and the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
The WCC petitioned the government to investigate the problems faced by women actors and technicians, leading to the formation of the Justice Hema committee. The committee, in a report released last year, claimed that there were rampant sexual abuse of woman actors and technicians and that the industry was being controlled by an all-male power group.