The Kerala government has taken legal action by appealing to the Kerala High Court against the recent decision of the Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court that acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in the 2017 actress abduction and sexual assault case. The court had convicted six other individuals in the same case. Sessions Court Judge Honey M. Varghese acquitted Dileep of all charges but found six men guilty, sentencing them to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code.
Following the controversial verdict, Law Minister P. Rajeev expressed the State’s disagreement and support for the survivor, announcing the government’s decision to challenge the court’s ruling. The appeal filed by the State not only seeks the conviction of Dileep but also requests the conviction of three others who were acquitted in the case. Additionally, the government is pushing for an increase in the sentences of the six individuals who were found guilty in the trial.
The survivor of the assault, which occurred in February 2017 while she was en route to a film shoot in Kochi, was abducted and sexually assaulted. The incident was recorded inside a moving vehicle, leading to the subsequent arrests of the perpetrators. Dileep, who was arrested in July 2017 on suspicion of being involved in planning the assault, was later released on bail due to insufficient evidence against him. The convicted individuals were found guilty of various criminal offenses, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, and gang rape.
