Dileep acquitted in sexual assault case: Timeline of 8-year-long legal battle

Ernakulam Sessions Court on Monday (December 8) acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in a sexual assault case. Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese concluded that the prosecution had failed to meet the standard of proof required to convict Dileep of conspiracy.

The case relates to the abduction and assault of an actress in a moving car in Kochi in 2017. The court convicted six others, and held that the charge of gang rape was proven beyond dispute. The verdict comes after eight years of prolonged legal battle. Below is a detailed, year-by-year timeline of how the case unfolded.

2017: The crime, charges, conspiracy allegations

Feb 17: A Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car in Kochi. The assault was recorded on a mobile phone, and the survivor filed a police complaint.

Feb 19: Police arrested three of the accused, while the prime suspect Pulsar Suni remained absconding.

Feb 23: The survivor's phone and memory card, a crucial piece of evidence, was handed over to the police. Pulsar Suni and Vijneesh surrendered before the court.

April: The first charge sheet was filed, naming Pulsar Suni and six others as accused.

Also Read: Dileep verdict closes a long chapter, but closure and justice elude survivor

June: A letter allegedly written by Pulsar Suni to Dileep surfaced, hinting at his involvement in planning the assault.

July: Dileep was arrested by the SIT for allegedly planning the crime as a revenge against the actress for exposing his alleged affair with Kavya Madhavan to his wife Manju Warrier. The AMMA expelled Dileep. The State formed the Justice Hema Committee to investigate sexual harassment and workplace issues in the Malayalam film industry.

Oct: Dileep was granted bail after 85 days in custody.

2018: Dileep petitions for access to memory card evidence

Jan: A key investigative officer was transferred triggering a controversy. Dileep petitioned for access to the memory card video.

Feb: The magistrate rejected the plea to access the assault video and shifted the trial to Ernakulam Sessions Court.

Also Read: Dileep case: Survivor meets Kerala CM, says 'satisfied with the probe'

Mar-Apr: Both the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court refused the plea to hand over the video, citing privacy concerns.

2019: Hema Committee submits its report

Nov: The trial formally began, but was later stopped after the survivor approached the Kerala High Court for a transfer of the trial to another court citing alleged bias of the judge. The petition was rejected by the court.

Dec: The Justice Hema Committee submitted its report to the govt, which was not released publicly.

2020: Trial resumes despite allegations of bias

Jan: Charges were filed against all 12 accused, and the trial proceedings resumed. The court heard from 261 witnesses, the prosecution submitted 833 documents and 142 pieces of evidence in its bid to establish that the assault was plotted.

Also Read: Dileep case: Survivor moves HC alleging political pressure to dilute case

Sep: Prosecution raised concerns about interference as several witnesses turned hostile.

Oct: Survivor petitioned for the removal of trial Judge Honey M Varghese alleging bias, but was rejected by the High Court as well as the Supreme Court.

2021: Covid, witness recalls delay proceedings

The trial proceedings saw slow progress due to repeated witness recalls and delay due to the Covid pandemic. Director Balachandra Kumar released audio recordings and alleged that Dileep processed the assault video and threatened the investigators.

2022: New allegations, anticipatory bail

Jan: A new FIR was registered against Dileep and five others for allegedly conspiring to harm the investigation officers. A SIT was formed and several raids were conducted.

Also Read: Nana Patekar, Dileep are 'narcissistic psychopaths': Tanushree Dutta on 'useless' Hema report

April: The court granted Dileep anticipatory bail.

2023: Forensic reports

April: Forensic reports highlighted possible tampering of evidence, including access to or alteration of the memory card.

June: The court allowed limited re-examination of cyber forensic experts.

2024: Final phase of evidence evaluation

Feb: The trial court informed the Kerala High Court that the case was in ‘the final phase of evidence evaluation’.

April: The prosecution submitted final arguments and the probe revealed the three people who illegally accessed visuals of the crime.

Sep: The Supreme Court granted bail to Pulsar Suni.

2025: The verdict

Dec 8: The court ruled that there was no evidence against actor Dileep, and he was acquitted of all charges.

Also read: Malayalam actor Dileep acquitted in 2017 actress assault case

The six accused – Sunil Kumar (Pulsar Suni), Martin Antony, B Manikandan, VP Vijeesh, H Salim, C Pradeep – were convicted and the court held that the charge of gang rape was proven beyond dispute.

The state government has decided to file an appeal against the trial court’s verdict.