The Kerala government will soon file an appeal against the verdict in the 2017 actress assault case, challenging both the acquittal of actor Dileep and the sentences awarded to six convicted accused, official sources said on Tuesday. Sources in the office of the Director General of Prosecution (DGP) said the state government has given approval to challenge the judgment delivered by the Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court.
Special Public Prosecutor V Aja Kumar said the appeal would be filed immediately after the Kerala High Court resumes following its Christmas vacation. “Though I have not yet received a copy of the government order, I have been informed that approval has been granted. Hence, we will be able to file the appeal once the court vacation is over,” he told PTI.
Kumar said he had submitted a detailed report after examining the judgment, which was forwarded by the Director General of Prosecution to the state government. “The government has taken a clear stand that no time should be wasted in filing the appeal. I have examined the judgment in detail and prepared the grounds for appeal,” he said. According to the special prosecutor, the state will challenge the sentences imposed on six accused, including prime accused Pulsar Suni, as well as the acquittal of the eighth accused, Dileep, and three others.
“The trial court relied on the testimonies of around 60 witnesses to convict six accused, but rejected the same evidence while acquitting the remaining accused,” Kumar said, explaining the basis of the proposed appeal.The Ernakulam court had acquitted Dileep and three co-accused while sentencing six others to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The survivor had earlier expressed her dissatisfaction with the verdict through social media posts.
The case relates to the abduction and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam woman actor while she was travelling from Thrissur to Ernakulam after a film shoot in February 2017. The crime was allegedly recorded on a mobile phone inside a moving vehicle. Actor Dileep was later arrested on charges of conspiracy in connection with the incident.The appeal is expected to bring renewed legal focus on one of Kerala’s most high-profile criminal cases in recent years.