Kochi, Dec 8 (PTI) — A Kerala court on Monday acquitted popular Malayalam actor Dileep in the high-profile case relating to the kidnapping and sexual assault of an actress in Kochi in 2017. However, the Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court found six others, including the prime accused Sunil N S, also known as Pulsar Suni, guilty of committing the crime.

The court observed that the prosecution failed to prove the charge of conspiracy against Dileep. A detailed judgment is awaited. The verdict was pronounced by Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese, who had concluded the trial hearings on November 25.

The case stems from an incident on the night of February 17, 2017, when the actress—who has worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films—was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for nearly two hours by a group of men who forced their way into the vehicle in a busy area of Kochi before fleeing.

Trial proceedings in the case began in January 2020. The prosecution contended that a conflict arose between the complainant and Dileep over a personal matter. The complainant had allegedly informed Dileep’s then-wife, Manju Warrier, about his alleged affairs with another actress, which led to an altercation during a rehearsal in 2016. The prosecution alleged that the kidnapping and assault were part of a conspiracy hatched in the aftermath of this altercation.

Dileep was arrested by Kerala police in July 2017 and spent 88 days in prison before securing bail. In 2019, he sought a CBI probe through the Kerala High Court, which was dismissed. The Supreme Court directed that the trial be completed within six months, but various appeals and legal challenges extended the proceedings.

During the trial, a fresh case emerged following disclosures by Malayalam director Balachandra Kumar in December 2024. Kumar claimed that he had met prime accused Pulsar Suni at Dileep’s residence in 2016 while discussing a project and alleged that he overheard conversations indicating a conspiracy to eliminate officials investigating the assault case. This led to the filing of a new FIR against Dileep and four others. Balachandra Kumar later passed away in December 2024 due to heart and kidney ailments.

Apart from Suni and Dileep, other accused in the case include Martin Antony, B Manikandan, VP Vijeesh, H Salim, Pradeep, Charley Thomas, Sanil Kumar, and Sarath G Nair. According to the prosecution, the first six accused were directly involved in the kidnapping and sexual assault. Charley Thomas allegedly harbored the accused, Sanil Kumar faced charges of conspiracy, and Sarath G Nair was accused of destroying evidence.

The accused faced multiple charges, including kidnapping and gangrape, criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty, and offenses under the Information Technology Act for destroying evidence.

The trial saw the examination of 261 witnesses, of whom 28 turned hostile, and over 1,600 documents were reviewed. Both the prosecution and defense filed multiple appeals in the High Court and Supreme Court on various matters, contributing to delays in the trial.

While Dileep has been acquitted of the conspiracy charges, the convictions of Suni and five others highlight the accountability of those directly involved in the kidnapping and assault. The verdict marks a significant development in one of Kerala’s most closely followed legal cases involving the film industry.