Malayalam Actor Dileep Acquitted In Assault Case After 8-Year Trial
Updated on: 08 December, 2025 06:02 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Kerala Court clears Dileep in assault case
A dramatic chapter in Kerala’s legal and film history came to a close on Monday, as the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court formally acquitted Dileep in the sensational 2017 assault and abduction case involving a woman actor.
The court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the alleged criminal conspiracy — bringing relief to a star whose name had dominated headlines for nearly eight years.
Presided over by Judge Honey M Varghese, the court delivered the verdict at 11 a.m. after closely examining evidence and testimonies that stretched across years of investigation and trial.
Dileep, listed as the eighth accused in the case, was cleared of all charges — including conspiracy, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, disrobing, gang rape, and a host of additional charges under the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.
However, the court found six of the other accused, including the prime accused, Pulsar Suni (Sunil N S), guilty of multiple offences related to the incident. Sentencing for the six convicted will be pronounced on December 12.
The case revolved around a chilling February 17, 2017 incident when a prominent actress was reportedly abducted while heading for a film shoot in Thrissur.
According to prosecution charges, she was forcibly taken into a moving vehicle, assaulted, and the attackers recorded the crime — an episode that sent shockwaves through Kerala and beyond.
Dileep had been accused of orchestrating the attack, allegedly “hiring a gang” to carry out the assault.
The investigation, arrests, and subsequent trial stretched over years, with the case drawing intense media scrutiny and widespread public debate about power dynamics, justice, and safety in the film industry.
Dileep’s Reaction — A Conspiracy, He Said
Immediately after the verdict, Dileep spoke to media outside the court. “This was a fabricated case to destroy my career and image,” he said, claiming that a “prominent police officer and a gang of criminal police” had conspired against him, along with certain media outlets, to spread what he called a “fake story.”
He expressed gratitude for those who stood by him over the years: “I thank all the lawyers and everybody else who helped me…”
For Dileep, the acquittal offers a long-awaited legal exoneration after nearly eight years of uncertainty.
For many in the Malayalam film community and beyond, it marks a landmark moment, bringing a controversial case to closure.
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