The Kerala government has decided to appeal in the High Court against the trial court’s ruling in the actress assault case involving actor Dileep and three others who were acquitted. This move comes after recommendations from the State Police Chief and the Special Public Prosecutor were approved by the government. The decision was based on the belief that crucial digital evidence was unfairly dismissed by the trial court on technical grounds.
The government, along with the DGP and Special Prosecutor, feels that there were serious errors in evaluating the evidence presented in court. Legal and technical deficiencies in the assessment will be contested in the appeal. The appeal targets the judgment of the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, which acquitted Dileep and three others while convicting the prime accused and five co-accused to 20 years in prison for the abduction and assault of the actress.
While the trial court cited a lack of conclusive evidence for criminal conspiracy, the prosecution insists on possessing substantial circumstantial and documentary proof linking the accused to the conspiracy. The survivor’s meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan prompted the government to expedite the appeal process. Concerns raised by the survivor regarding the verdict’s implications led to the decision to challenge the acquittal in the High Court.
The state aims to file the appeal promptly after the High Court resumes post-Christmas vacation. Given the case’s severity and broader societal impact on women’s safety and the justice system, the government is committed to exhausting all legal avenues to contest the acquittal. The appeal will stress the necessity for a thorough review of the evidence and seek judicial intervention to rectify perceived errors in the trial court’s ruling.
