Actress assault case: Kerala govt to appeal against verdict

Kochi, Dec 8 (PTI) Kerala government on Monday said it will appeal against the verdict in the actress assault case in which Malayalam actor Dileep was acquitted while six others were found guilty.

Announcing the decision, State Law Minister P Rajeev said the survivor didn't get complete justice through the present verdict.

"Though those who were directly involved in the crime were found guilty by the court, it was not the verdict everyone expected," he told reporters here, shortly after the court acquitted the actor in the case.

"The state government has always stood strongly with the survivor, and that will be continued," Rajeev said.

Pointing to the strong stand taken by the prosecution, he said it had even submitted a five-volume argument note at the court with regard to the case.

"The government has decided to go on appeal against the verdict. I have already talked to the chief minister and the DGP in this regard. The prosecution has been directed to initiate further proceedings in this regard," he added.

State Cultural Affairs and Cinema Minister Saji Cheriyan also said the government has always supported the survivor, and its stance is to ensure the guilty are punished, however high-profile they are.

While KPCC chief Sunny Joseph said the verdict pronounced by the principal sessions court was not satisfactory, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said declaring those who had direct involvement in the crime as guilty was a relief.

Joseph, in a video message, accused the prosecution of completely failing in proving the conspiracy part in the case and assuring justice to the survivor.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Kozhikode, Satheesan said what the survivor went through is a tragedy that should never happen to any woman. This judgment finding six accused directly involved in the crime guilty will help prevent such incidents from recurring.

When asked whether the prosecution has failed to prove the conspiracy angle in the case, he said that will be clear only when the detailed judgment is released.

"Naturally, the prosecution will file an appeal. Courts take decisions based on evidence. If the decision has not been taken on the basis of evidence, the prosecution can approach the appellate court. The appellate court too will decide based on evidence," he added.

Meanwhile, film director B Unnikrishnan and producer Suresh Kumar expressed happiness over Dileep being acquitted in the case.

Unnikrishnan, also the general secretary of FEFKA, said in view of the judgment, its directors' union has been asked to take a decision on the membership of Dileep, who had been expelled from it earlier based on the allegations.

Kumar said the trauma gone through by Dileep and his family all these years was beyond imagination, and he received justice now.

However, many actresses, including Parvathy Thiruvothu and Rima Kallingal, who are close to the survivor, assured their continuous support to her through social media.

A large number of netizens also posted stories with the hashtag "avalkkoppam" (with her).

Dileep, after court proceedings, visited his lawyer, senior advocate Raman Pillai, to thank him.

"It was a completely false case, and no one can win a case based just on fabricated evidence. It is a verdict in accordance with truth and justice," Pillai told reporters.

He also said the narrative against Dileep was fabricated after he was made an accused in the case.

When Dileep reached his house in Aluva, his family members, including his wife, Kavya Madhavan, daughter Mahalekshmi, and others, welcomed him. The family could be seen even taking photographs together.

The actor's fans burst crackers and distributed sweets in many places, including on the premises of the court and in front of his house.

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions on Monday acquitted Dileep in the sensational case.

The court, however, found six others, including prime accused Sunil N S alias Pulsar Suni, who directly committed the crime, guilty.

Apart from Dileep, the court acquitted three others in the case.

The verdict was pronounced by Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese, who had concluded the hearing in the lengthy trial on November 25.

The assault on the multi-lingual actress after the miscreants forced their way into the car she was travelling in and kept it under their control for two hours, had shaken the conscience of the Kerala society.

According to the prosecution, several persons forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017 and later escaped in a busy area.

The ten accused who faced trial are Sunil, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh V P, Salim H, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, actor Dileep (real name P Gopalakrishnan), Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil, and Sharath.

Police arrested the accused soon after the incident and filed the first charge sheet against seven persons in April 2017.

During further investigation, Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017 after the probe team found that the prime accused, Sunil, had allegedly sent a letter to him from jail. PTI LGK KH