Kerala court acquits actor Dileep of all charges in 2017 actress assault case

"There was a conspiracy to defame me in society, to defame my career, my image and destroy my life," Dileep said outside the court.

Judge Honey M Varghese of the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court pronounced the verdict in the 2017 Kerala Actress assault case in which Dileep is the eighth accused.

Dileep has been found not guilty of the allegation that he orchestrated the assault of the assault. Dileep was accused of conspiring and hiring a gang to execute the crime.

The case pertains to an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films and was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017.

Sunil NS, widely known as Pulsar Suni, alleged to have orchestrated the abduction and assault, is the first accused. The others facing trial alongside him and Dileep are Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijeesh VP, Salim H, alias Vadival Salim, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, Sanilkumar alias Mesthiri Sanil, and G Sarath.

The charges invoked against the accused span a wide range of IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy (120A, 120B), abetment (109), wrongful confinement (342, 357), kidnapping (366), outraging modesty (354), attempt to disrobe (354B), gang rape (376D), criminal intimidation (506(i)), destruction of evidence (201), harbouring an offender (212), and common intention (34).The trial, which began on March 8, 2018, has been lengthy and complex.

A total of 261 witnesses were examined, many in camera, including several prominent film personalities, with 28 witnesses turning hostile. Over the years, two special prosecutors stepped down, and the survivor's request to replace the presiding judge was denied. The prosecution submitted 833 documents and 142 material objects, while the defence produced 221 documents. Witness examination alone spanned 438 days. (ANI)