Kerala court acquits actor Dileep in 2017 actress assault case, six found guilty
The case dates back to a harrowing February 2017 night, when the actress was ambushed in her moving car
In a dramatic turn in one of Kerala’s most closely watched trials, a court in Ernakulam on Monday acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep, clearing him of charges in the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a prominent South Indian actress — a crime that had once shaken the cultural conscience of the state.
The courtroom of principal sessions judge Honey M Varghese, which had absorbed months of tense testimony and emotional arguments before concluding hearings on 25 November, delivered a verdict that rippled through Kerala’s film and legal circles.
While Dileep and three others walked free, the court found six men — including the shadowy prime accused, Sunil N.S., better known as Pulsar Suni — guilty of carrying out the horrifying assault.
The case dates back to a harrowing February night in 2017, when the actress, celebrated across Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema, was ambushed in her moving car. Her vehicle was hijacked, and for two agonising hours she was held captive, assaulted, and filmed — before her assailants abandoned her in a bustling Kochi neighbourhood, disappearing into the night.
Police moved swiftly, arresting several of the attackers and filing the first chargesheet in April 2017. But the narrative darkened months later when investigators alleged that Suni had sent a letter from jail implicating actor Dileep. He was arrested on 10 July 2017, in a stunning twist that sent shockwaves through Kerala’s film fraternity. After nearly three months behind bars, he secured bail on 3 October.
Years of courtroom battles, shifting testimonies, and intense public scrutiny culminated in today’s ruling — a judgment that brings closure for some, renewed questions for others, and marks a pivotal moment in a saga that has lingered in Kerala’s collective memory.
With PTI inputs