Kerala High Court rejects actor Dileep’s plea for CBI probe in actress attack case

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Malayalam actor Dileep, one of the accused in a case related to the sexual assault of a woman actor, for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and said he cannot demand which agency should probe charges against him.

Dileep had moved the high court six months ago, saying some officers probing the case had implicated him based on the statement of the first accused, a notorious criminal, and that the probe was conducted in a pre-planned manner.

But the state government opposed his petition, saying he was trying to delay the trial and that he had no right to demand which agency should conduct the probe. The court accepted the state’s view and said the probe was going in the right direction.

The attack on 33-year-old woman actor took place in February 2017 in Kochi. She was allegedly abducted and assaulted by a gang led by Pulsar Suni in a moving car. They set her free after three hours but threatened to circulate a video of the assault if she approached the police.

However, she filed a complaint the same day and Dileep was arrested five months later on charges of hiring a criminal gang to settle personal scores with her. He is the eighth accused in the case, which has witnessed many twists and turns.

In judicial custody for 85 days, Dileep was granted bail under strict provisions. He moved different petitions as the trial was set to begin in a court in Angamally in Ernakulam district.

In a different plea, he had moved the Supreme Court seeking a copy of the memory card containing visuals of the sexual crime on women actor. However, the state government opposed it and said it should not be regarded a document and that there could be possibilities it could be leaked to embarrass the victim further.

However, senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi who appeared for Dileep argued that visuals were doctored. The top court will consider this plea on January 23.