Kerala govt to appeal against acquittal of actor Dileep in 2017 actress assault case soon

Kochi: The Kerala government will soon file an appeal against the verdict in the 2017 actress assault case, challenging both the acquittal of actor Dileep and the sentences awarded to six convicts, sources said on Tuesday.

According to sources in the office of the Director General of Prosecution, the state government has given its nod to file an appeal against the district court judgment.

Special Public Prosecutor V Aja Kumar told PTI that the appeal would be filed soon after the Kerala High Court's Christmas vacation.

“Though I have not yet received a copy of the government order, I have been informed that approval has been granted. Hence, we will be able to file the appeal once the court vacation is over,” he said.

Kumar said he had submitted a detailed report to the Director General of Prosecution, which was subsequently forwarded to the state government.

“The government has taken a clear stand that no time should be wasted in filing the appeal. I have examined the judgment in detail and prepared the grounds for appeal,” he said.

He said the state would challenge the sentence awarded by the Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court to six accused persons, including prime accused Pulsar Suni.

“Similarly, we will challenge the verdict acquitting the eighth accused (Dileep) and three others. The trial court relied on the testimonies of around 60 witnesses to convict six accused, but rejected the same evidence while acquitting the remaining accused,” Kumar said.

The trial court had acquitted Dileep and three others, while sentencing six accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The survivor had earlier expressed her disappointment over the verdict on social media.

The actress was abducted and sexually assaulted while travelling from Thrissur to Ernakulam after a film shoot in February 2017. The crime was allegedly recorded on a mobile phone inside a moving vehicle. Dileep was arrested on charges of conspiracy in connection with the crime.