A Kerala trial court on Monday aquitted proiminent Malayalam actor Dileep in the 2017 actress rape and abduction case. The court had earlier reserved the judgement for December 12.
“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.
All the accused faced multiple charges under various sections
The case pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of the actress in 2017. Dileep was accused of conspiring and allegedly hiring a gang to execute the crime. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court delivered the judgment against ten accused, including Dileep, who remained on trial after some were discharged or turned approvers.
All the accused faced multiple charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120A and 120B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (abetment), 366 (kidnapping or abduction of a woman), 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty), 354B (use of criminal force to disrobe a woman), 357 (wrongful confinement), 376D (gang rape), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring an offender), and 34 (common intention).
They were also charged under sections 66E (capturing or transmitting private images without consent) and 67A (transmitting sexually explicit material electronically) of the Information Technology Act. Dileep faced an additional charge under Section 204 IPC for allegedly destroying evidence to prevent its production.
Another key accused, Pulsar Suni, has been charged under Section 354B of the IPC, which deals with assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe. The trial lasted nearly eight years and involved multiple twists during investigation and hearings.
WCC extends solidarity to the survivor
On Sunday evening, December 7, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) issued a statement expressing solidarity with the survivor. “Her fight has unleashed many tumultuous journeys for women in cinema, the Malayalam film industry, and the state of Kerala. The impact has rippled through our collective conscience, and voices have risen for change. Much has to be said for the courage and resilience she has shown through it all, while upholding her faith in the system,” the statement read.
The WCC added, “Her fight is for every survivor. We stand by her, and every survivor who is watching, in solidarity.”
Role of WCC
The WCC was formed in 2017 by a group of women working in the Malayalam film industry after the assault incident. The collective aimed to address deep-rooted misogyny, power imbalances, and the lack of support systems for women in the industry.
After nearly eight years of legal proceedings, the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court delivered its verdict on Monday, December 8, bringing the long-running trial to a close. The acquittal of Dileep marks the end of a case that has remained at the center of public debate on justice, gender equality, and safety in the Malayalam film industry.