The Principal District and Sessions Court in Ernakulam, on Monday (December 8), acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress abduction and sexual assault case, bringing an eight-year-long trial to a crucial conclusion.

The verdict was delivered in open court by Judge Honey M. Varghese. The Court held accused Nos. 1 to 6 — including prime accused Sunil N.S. popularly known as Pulsar Suni — guilty of rape, criminal conspiracy, abduction and other related offences. They were convicted under Sections 120B, 340, 354, 366, 354B and 376D of the Indian Penal Code. Sentencing is scheduled for December 12.

Dileep, arrayed as A8, was alleged to have masterminded the conspiracy behind the assault. Alongside him, A7, A9 and A15 were also facing allegations. The Court, however, cleared Dileep of all charges.

Background

The case stems from the kidnapping and sexual assault of a well-known Malayalam actress in a moving vehicle near Kochi on February 17, 2017. The perpetrators are alleged to have recorded the incident on camera. Pulsar Suni was named the principal accused, while Dileep was later arrested for his alleged role in planning the crime.

Initially, 12 individuals were arrayed as accused. Two — Pratheesh Chacko and Raju Joseph — were discharged, and one accused, Vishnu, turned approver. The remaining accused included Martin Antony, Manikandan B., Vijeesh V.P., Salim H. @ Vadival Salim, Pradeep, Charly Thomas and Sanilkumar @ Mesthiri Sanil.

Dileep had spent nearly 80 days in judicial custody before securing bail from the Kerala High Court. Pulsar Suni, on the other hand, remained behind bars for close to 7.5 years before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024, noting delays in concluding the trial.

The long-drawn proceedings involved several petitions filed both by the survivor and Dileep before the High Court and Supreme Court. In 2018, the High Court refused Dileep’s request for a CBI probe, ruling that an accused cannot dictate the investigating agency. A subsequent appeal was also dismissed, noting that the trial was nearing completion.

In 2019, the High Court allowed the survivor’s petition to have the trial presided over by a woman judge. Later, she again approached the High Court seeking transfer of the trial, alleging bias. Litigation over access to the memory card containing crucial visual evidence also reached the Supreme Court in 2019, where the Court instructed expeditious completion of trial proceedings.

Extensions were granted over the years due to procedural complexities and multiple litigations. In August 2024, the High Court sought a status update from the trial court. After concluding evidence and hearing final arguments, the District Court reserved the judgment for pronouncement on December 8.

Case Details
Case No.: SC 118 of 2018
Title: State of Kerala v. Sunil N.S. @ Pulsar Suni & Others