Actress assault case: Kerala HC seeks update on FIRs against media

Kochi, Nov 28 The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to obtain and place on record instructions regarding the progress of five FIRs registered against media outlets for allegedly violating the court-imposed embargo on reporting trial proceedings in the 2017 Malayalam actress assault case.

The directive came from Justice C. Pratheep Kumar while hearing a petition filed by actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, alleging that certain media organisations had breached the prohibition on publication, broadcast and telecast of in-camera trial proceedings.

Dileep's counsel submitted that although the FIRs were registered in 2022 pursuant to the court's order dated January 18, 2022, no substantial investigation had taken place since.

At this juncture, the court orally observed, "The purpose of this petition is already over."

However, Dileep's counsel argued that while the immediate purpose of the petition might have been achieved, it was essential that the legal process reached a logical and conclusive end.

The public prosecutor sought additional time to gather instructions from the investigating agencies regarding the FIRs.

Accordingly, the court adjourned the matter to next week.

Meanwhile, the Principal District and Sessions Court, Ernakulam, is scheduled to deliver its judgment in the sensational actress assault case on December 8.

The case, which has gripped Kerala's film industry and the public alike, pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent Malayalam actor in a moving vehicle on the outskirts of Kochi in February 2017.

Dileep is alleged to have conspired in the crime and hired those who carried out the assault.

The trial, one of the most closely watched in Kerala's legal history, stretched for over six years, involving more than 200 witnesses, multiple forensic examinations and repeated legal confrontations over the admissibility of evidence and media reporting.

The forthcoming judgment is expected to have wide ramifications for Kerala's film industry, criminal jurisprudence on conspiracy, and the scope of media freedom during ongoing trials.

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