A file photo of Actor Dileep
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: After nearly nine years of twists and turns, verdict in the case pertaining to the abduction and sexual assault of a popular south Indian actress by a gang allegedly hired by actor Dileep is scheduled to be pronounced by the trial court in Kochi on Monday.
Dileep is the eighth accused in the case that rocked Kerala and led to serious repercussions in the Malayalam film industry — formation of Justice Hema committee to study problems faced by women in film industry as well as formation of Women in Cinema Collective by a group of women film personalities.
The investigation and trial also witnessed many hurdles with as many as 28 witnesses, including prominent film personalities, turning hostile and two special prosecutors quitting.
It was on February 17, 2017 that the actress was abducted and sexually assaulted by a gang led by key accused Sunil alias Pulsar Suni in a moving car. The next day she lodged a complaint and within weeks all the gang members were held.
The air was thick with rumours over Dileep's involvement right from the initial stages. It got further fueled with Dileep's ex-wife actress Manju Warrier's statement at a gathering of film personalities to express solidarity with the survivor. Manju said that a criminal conspiracy was there behind the attack. Dileep, who was also present at the venue, said that false stories were being cooked up.
With incriminating evidence linking Dileep with the gang emerged, the police arraigned him in the case and arrested him in July 2017. He had to spend around three months in prison until he got bail.
The prosecution case is that Dileep hired the gang to attack the actress as she informed Manju Warrier about Dileep's relationship with actress Kavya Madhavan. Dileep and Manju even got divorced and he married Kavya, who also got divorced from her first husband.
Even as the trial in the case began in March 2018, it dragged on owing to various twists and turns, the most crucial being the statement of film director Balachandra Kumar that Dileep possessed the video of the sexual assault on the actress.
A fresh case of conspiring to murder the police official investigating the case was also registered against Dileep on the basis of Kumar's revelation. Kumar, who died last year owing to illness, had even given statements to the court while in an ailing condition.
The verdict in the case will not only determine the fate of Dileep' s career, but will also serve as a message to the society on women safety as the survivor and accused are celebrities.