Before today’s verdict: The Dileep–Kerala actor assault case in a nutshell |
On December 8, a Sessions court in Ernakulam, Kerala, will pronounce the verdict in the case of a well-known south Indian actor who was sexually assaulted in Kochi in 2017. The trial has reached its denouement after eight years of twists and turns, amid intense media scrutiny and industry-wide debate about gender, power, and accountability.
On February 17, 2017, the woman actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car in Kochi, an attack that was allegedly orchestrated by her industry colleague, Dileep, one of Malayalam cinema’s most prominent actors.
The case has since seen multiple arrests, a complex investigation, hundreds of witness testimonies, and repeated petitions over access to and verification of digital evidence.
For those trying to make sense of nearly a decade of developments, this explainer walks through the crime, the investigation, the trial, and the broader implications for Kerala’s film industry.
The crime
The woman actor was abducted by six men when she was travelling from her house in Thrissur to a film-related engagement in Kochi on the night of February 17, 2017. She was held captive inside her own car and sexually assaulted by a man named Pulsar Suni, a history sheeter. He also recorded the assault on a mobile phone. After two hours, she was dropped near the home of a movie director, who helped her contact the police.
A case was registered the same day, and an investigation began.
Within days, Pulsar Suni, who surrendered to the police, was named the prime accused. Several others accused were arrested.
Initial statements and forensic material indicated that the assault was recorded to be used for blackmail, not by Suni, but by someone else. Suni had told the survivor during the car ride that he was acting on a ‘quotation’ or contract.
Investigators soon found that the attack was not an isolated crime but part of a broader conspiracy aimed at intimidating and humiliating the survivor.
Through statements, phone records, and alleged links between several accused, the probe expanded and ultimately led to the arrest of actor Dileep on July 10, 2017.
Dileep was added as the eighth accused and booked for criminal conspiracy, abduction, and gang rape, along with various offences under the Information Technology Act.
Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijeesh VP, Salim H alias Vadival Salim, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, P Gopalakrishnan alias Dileep and Sanilkumar alias Mesthiri Sanil (41), were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 366 (kidnapping), 376D (gang rape), and........