A Kerala court convicted six men for the 2017 actress abduction and assault case while fully acquitting actor Dileep of all charges. The court detailed individual offences for every accused, with sentencing scheduled for December 12.
A Kerala court on Monday delivered the long-awaited judgment in the 2017 actress assault case, a case that has remained one of the most closely followed criminal trials in the Malayalam film industry.
The court acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep of all charges, while convicting six other accused persons for their role in the abduction and sexual assault of a popular actress.
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The incident happened in February 2017 when the survivor, a well-known female actor, was travelling to a film shoot location. She was forcibly abducted in a moving vehicle by a group of men, sexually assaulted, and the attack was also recorded on video.
The next day, the vehicle’s driver, Martin Antony, was arrested. Within a week, police also arrested Sunil NS, also known as Pulsar Suni, a history-sheeter who was named as the prime accused. By the end of the same month, four more people were arrested in connection with the attack.
In July 2017, actor Dileep was arrested on allegations that he had conspired to plan and arrange the assault as an act of revenge because the survivor had informed his then-wife about his alleged extramarital affair.
Since then, the case has gone through years of investigation, court hearings, witness testimonies, and multiple supplementary charge sheets.
On Monday, Ernakulam District and Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese delivered the verdict on guilt, confirming convictions for six accused persons while completely acquitting Dileep.
The court stated that the punishment for the convicted persons will be decided on December 12, after hearing them individually regarding sentencing.
According to the court, the first accused, Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni, was convicted under Sections 342, 354, 354B, 357, 366, and 376D of the Indian Penal Code for unlawful confinement, outraging the modesty of a woman, using force to disrobe, wrongful use of force, kidnapping, and gang rape.
He was also convicted under Section 66E and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act for filming and transmitting sexually explicit material.
Further, he was found guilty under Section 120B of the IPC for being part of the criminal conspiracy behind the attack. However, he was acquitted of the charge of criminal intimidation under Section 506.
The second accused, Martin Antony, was also convicted under Sections 342, 354, 354B, 357, 366, and 376D of the IPC. The court held that he was guilty under Section 120B for participating in the criminal conspiracy related to the IPC offences, except kidnapping, and for conspiracies related to offences under the IT Act.
He was additionally convicted under Section 109 IPC for abetting all of these acts. Antony was also found guilty under Section 201 IPC for helping destroy evidence or giving false information to protect the offenders.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth accused — Manikandan B, Vijeesh VP, Salim H alias Vadival Salim, and Pradeep — were all convicted under the same IPC sections as the first two accused for wrongful confinement, assault, disrobing, kidnapping, and gang rape.
The court also held them guilty of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B and abetment under Section 109 IPC for their roles in assisting and planning the crime.
Accused No. 7, Charlie Thomas, had only been charged under Section 212 IPC for allegedly sheltering the offenders after the crime. The court acquitted him of this offence.
Accused No. 8, actor P. Gopalakrishnan also known as Dileep, had been charged with planning the kidnapping and assault, as well as destroying evidence under Sections 201 and 204 of the IPC. However, he was cleared of all charges.
The order stated:
“A8 (Dileep) is not found guilty of the offences under section 120(B) read with Sections 342, 354, 354(B), 357, and 376(D) of The IPC and Section 66(E) and 67(A) of the IT Act and Section 201 and 204 of IPC and acquitted under section 235(I) CrPC.”
Accused No. 9, Sanilkumar alias Mesthri Sanil, was added later through a supplementary chargesheet.
He had been charged under Section 506 IPC for criminal intimidation and under Section 120B IPC for criminal conspiracy linked to an alleged plan with Pulsar Suni inside the jail to extort money by threatening Dileep. He was acquitted of both charges. However, he remains in custody due to a separate, unrelated case.
Another accused, Sarath G Nair (Accused No. 15), considered close to Dileep, had been charged only under Section 201 IPC for causing destruction of evidence. He too was acquitted.
During the trial, one accused named Vishnu turned approver and testified for the prosecution. Two others, Vipin Lal BL and Aneesh PK, were pardoned and also appeared as prosecution witnesses.
Furthermore, two accused persons — advocate Pratheesh Chacko and his assistant Raju Joseph — were discharged from the case earlier during the proceedings.
The verdict marks a major point in a case that has deeply impacted the Malayalam film industry and sparked large public debates about accountability, survivor rights, and gender justice. The sentencing for the convicted accused will be delivered after the court hears arguments on December 12.
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