"Conspiracy to defame me": Actor Dileep after aquittal in Kerala actor assault case

Kochi (Kerala) [India], December 8 : Actor Dileep on Monday expressed gratitude to his fans, family and supporters after a trial court in Kerala's Ernakulam acquitted him of all charges in the 2017 sexual assault case.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese acquitted Dileep of the offences charged against him in the case after the trial that lasted around eight years. Dileep was the eighth accused in the case.

"Those who stood by me, my family and fans who stood by me and the lawyers who have stood by me over the past years I thank all of them," Dileep told reporters outside court.

He also thanked his college mates and "countless of people" who have stood by me and prayed for him. "First and foremost, I thank the Almighty. Truth has won."

He alleged that there was a "criminal conspiracy" to frame him and spread a false media narrative against him.

"There is a criminal conspiracy in this case. The conspiracy against me began the moment when Manju (Manju Warrier) stated that the criminal conspiracy behind the incident must be investigated. A senior officer at that time, along with a team of criminal-minded police personnel chosen by him, orchestrated this action against me. For this purpose, they supported the main accused in the case and the co-accused who were lodged in prison with him, and together this police team created a fabricated story," the actor said.

"Then, with the help of certain media organisations and a few journalists who were ready to support them, this fabricated narrative was widely circulated through social media. Today, in court, this fake story created by that police team has collapsed. The real conspiracy in this case was to make me the accused, to destroy my career, my image, and my life in society," added the actor.

The court has, however, found that accused from no. 1 to no. 6 guilty and will pronounce punishment for those found guilty on December 12.

The accused in the case were the first accused, NS Sunil, widely known as 'Pulsur Suni', alleged to have orchestrated the abduction and assault of the actress.

The second accused, Martin Antony, third accused B. Manikandan, fourth accused V P Vijeesh, fifth accused H Salim alias Vadiwal Salim, sixth accused Pradeep, seventh accused Charly Thomas, ninth accused Sanilkumar, alias Mesthri Sanil, and the fifteenth accused, G Sarath.

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.

The charges invoked against the accused span a wide range of IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy (120A, 120B), abetment (109), wrongful confinement (342, 357), kidnapping (366), outraging modesty (354), attempt to disrobe (354B), gang rape (376D), criminal intimidation (506(i)), destruction of evidence (201), harbouring an offender (212), and common intention (34).The trial, which began on March 8, 2018, has been lengthy and complex. A total of 261 witnesses were examined, many in camera, including several prominent film personalities, with 28 witnesses turning hostile. Over the years, two special prosecutors stepped down, and the survivor's request to replace the presiding judge was denied. The prosecution submitted 833 documents and 142 material objects, while the defence produced 221 documents. Witness examination alone spanned 438 days.

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