Malayalam actress assault case: SC to hear plea by accused actor Dileep on Dec 11

The Supreme Court on, Monday December 3, will consider a petition by Malayalam actor Dileep, accused of attacking and abducting an actress in 2017. The plea filed by the accused seeks access to a memory card that contains the images of the horrific crime.

In his plea to the top court, the actor claimed that he has the right to access the images, considered to be the crucial evidence in the case.

Dileep alleges that the images on the memory card were doctored to ‘trap him’. Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi's junior Ranjeeta Rohatgi moved the plea for Dileep in SC.

When the demand was first raised, a lower court had allowed for the actor and his counsel to take a look at it in the presence of the court. The court had upheld the police contention that evidence cannot be handed over to the accused.

His counsel had earlier also asked for certain other documents pertaining to the case, which was not handed over and this would also be pointed out in the petition.

The actor had moved the lower courts and the Kerala High Court seeking the memory card but in vain.

While the Angamaly magisterial court rejected his plea on the grounds of the victim's privacy and that it could be misused, the high court was convinced that this was a delaying tactic as the trial was set to commence soon.

The abduction incident took place in February 2017 while the actress was on her way to Kochi from her house. The gang of criminals was led by Pulsar Suni, who was named the prime accused.

The trial court accepted the chargesheet that named a total of 12 persons, including Dileep's former wife Manju Warrier, who is a key witness.

The 650-page chargesheet included secret depositions. Among the list of witnesses, around 50 were from the film industry.

The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car on February 17, 2017, was hatched by Dileep.

Dileep, who was arrested on July 10, 2017, was granted bail on October 3, after 85 days in custody.

The actor had in June moved the Kerala High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the case. In his petition, he alleged that the Special Investigation Team of Kerala Police had carried out a 'unfair and biased investigation' in the case.