Kerala actor assault case: Actor Dileep acquitted; six found guilty of gang rape and conspiracy

A Kerala court on Monday acquitted actor Dileep in the case pertaining to the abduction and sexual assault of a popular south Indian actress by a gang allegedly hired by him.

Ernakulam principal sessions judge Honey M. Varghese found accused number one to six guilty of gang rape and conspiracy. Four others, including Dileep, were found not guilty.

All 10 accused in the case were present in the court when the verdict was pronounced.

Dileep was 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 the 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.

As incriminating evidence linking Dileep with the gang emerged, the police arraigned him in the case and arrested him in July 2017. He spent around three months in prison until he got bail.

The trial in the case began in March 2018 and 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.