Days after Dileep acquittal in Kerala actress sexual assault case, 6 convicts get 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment

They were charged under IPC sections pertaining to gangrape, conspiracy, outraging the modesty of a woman, wrongful confinement, use of criminal force, destruction of evidence, and taking and distributing obscene images.

The prosecution had accused Dileep of hiring the primary accused, Pulsur Suni, to abduct the survivor, sexually assault her and record the crime. It had been dubbed a rare case of “supari” for rape. The court, however, found that the charges against Dileep could not be proven.

On Monday, apart from Dileep, the court also acquitted Charlie Thomas, Sanil Kumar alias Mestri Sanil, and Sarath Nair. Charlie had been accused of providing a hideout for other accused after the incident. Sanil had faced charges of conspiring with Pulsur Sunil in jail to extract money by threatening Dileep. Sarath faced charges for handing over and destroying the visuals of the sexual assault. The court had declared three other accused, Vishnu, Vipinlal and Aneesh, approvers.

The state government said it would appeal the verdict and reiterated its support for the survivor, who has worked in the Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu film industries.

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said the survivor did not get complete justice through the verdict. “Though those who were directly involved in the crime were found guilty by the court, it was not the verdict everyone expected,” he said, adding, “The state government has always stood strongly with the survivor, and that will be continued.”