Kerala actor rape case verdict on Dec 8: Dileep among accused

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court is poised to pronounce the verdict in the high-profile Kerala actor rape case on December 8, marking the culmination of one of the state's most prolonged criminal trials. The trial concerns actor Dileep, who is an accused in a conspiracy with Pulsar Suni, the first accused who allegedly raped the woman actor and recorded the act in a moving car. The actor was imprisoned for 84 days during the case.

Prosecution alleges that the crime occurred on February 17, 2017, with Suni at the center of the alleged conspiracy. Dileep’s involvement has been a central point of the proceedings, which have stretched over several years as witnesses and documents piled up. The court is said to have examined around 1,700 documents and 261 witnesses, including prominent cinema figures, though much of the hearings were conducted in-camera.

The trial began in 2018 and was repeatedly disrupted over the years. There were multiple appeals by the survivor and the accused, along with resignations of special prosecutors and temporary pauses during the COVID-19 lockdown, which contributed to the extended timeline. The long delay has been a defining feature of the case’s trajectory.

Pulsar Suni, whose real name is Sunil N.S., hails from Vengoor in Ernakulam. He was arrested on February 23, 2017, and after spending years as an undertrial, was released on bail on September 20, 2024 under stringent conditions. The verdict’s delivery is expected to bring a sense of closure to a case that has cast a long shadow over the Malayalam film industry.

Observers and members of the public are keenly watching as the court prepares to deliver its decision, which could shape perceptions of justice and accountability in a case that has drawn intense media scrutiny and public interest.

Cover image source: A star, an assault and an eight-year question: Kerala court set to decide 🔗

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