In a dramatic turn in what has been one of Malayalam cinema’s most controversial legal battles, actor Dileep was acquitted on December 8, 2025, of all charges in the 2017 abduction and sexual assault case involving a fellow actress.
The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, presided over by Honey M Varghese, found that the prosecution had failed to establish any credible evidence connecting Dileep to the crime.
However, six other accused — including the main perpetrator, Pulsar Suni (Sunil N.S.) — were convicted for their direct involvement.
What happened in 2017: The crime that shook Kerala’s film world
On the night of 17 February 2017, a prominent Malayalam film actress was travelling from her home in Thrissur to a film assignment in Kochi.
She was abducted by a group of men, forced into her own car, and kept captive for about two hours. During this time, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Pulsar Suni, and the crime was surreptitiously recorded on his mobile phone.
After the assault, the men abandoned her near the residence of a film director in Kochi; the director helped her reach the police the same night, and an FIR was filed almost immediately.
In the initial investigation, several of the assailants were arrested within days. The first charge sheet named Pulsar Suni and six others as accused.
Later, Dileep — a major star in Malayalam cinema — was added as the eighth accused, when police alleged he had conspired to orchestrate the attack.
It was claimed the motive was revenge: according to the prosecution, the actress had allegedly informed Dileep’s then-wife about his extramarital relationship with another actress.
Over the years, the case drew intense media scrutiny, fierce public debate and profound upheaval within the film industry, leading to revulsion and soul-searching about the treatment of women in cinema.
Eight years of trial — twists, turmoil, and verdict
The trial, which involved hundreds of witnesses, vast evidence, video clips, memory cards and 833 documents, spanned more than eight years and shifted across courts.
At various stages, witnesses turned hostile; prosecutors changed, and there were repeated petitions about evidence and fairness.
Supporters of Dileep — and parts of the film fraternity — argued that the case was being driven by media sensationalism, social pressure, and personal vendettas masked as justice.
On the other hand, many in the industry and beyond demanded accountability, transparency, and a safer working environment for women.
The case became a symbol of the wider #MeToo reckoning in regional cinema.
On December 8, 2025, after the final hearing, the court ruled that while the abduction and assault unquestionably happened, it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dileep had orchestrated or conspired in the crime.
Six men — including Pulsar Suni — were convicted, while Dileep and three other co-accused were acquitted. The sentencing for the convicted will be pronounced on December 12.
Dileep speaks — “Truth has won,” he says; calls the case a conspiracy
Shortly after the verdict, Dileep addressed the media:
He thanked his family, his fans, and all who stood by him through the turbulent years. He declared, “Truth has won today.”
But more than gratitude, his words carried a sharp accusation. Dileep alleged that the entire case was a fabricated conspiracy — orchestrated by certain police officials, corrupt investigators and malicious media forces.
He said the conspiracy began the moment his former wife — noted actress Manju Warrier — publicly suggested that a “criminal conspiracy” lay behind the assault during a solidarity meet on 19 February 2017 at Kochi’s Durbar Hall.
He claimed that a “senior officer at that time, along with a team of criminal-minded police personnel,” colluded with the actual attackers — supporting them while they were in jail — to build a false narrative implicating him.
Then, according to him, “with the help of certain media organizations and a few journalists ready to support them,” this narrative was widely spread on social media to tarnish his image.
For Dileep, the objective was not justice — but to “destroy my career, my reputation, and my life in society.”
Aftermath — What the verdict means for Kerala, cinema & justice
The verdict has reopened deep wounds: for the survivor, many supporters, activists and members of the industry, it raises painful questions about whether justice was truly served, given the long, contentious trial and frequent accusations of judicial bias, ill-treatment of witnesses, and alleged loopholes in evidence handling.
For Dileep, however, it is a legal, social, and symbolic vindication. He is now free from all criminal liability in the case. His name — once synonymous with scandal and outrage — has been cleared.
Yet the larger conversation — about accountability, power dynamics, exploitation, and gender safety in the film industry and beyond — is far from over.
Many say that even if the trial ends here, the real reckoning must continue through systemic reforms and cultural change.
Final thoughts
After eight long years of courtroom drama, social outrage, and a deeply polarised public debate, the court’s verdict has delivered closure — of a kind.
For Dileep, freedom. For the survivors and their supporters, a reminder of how fragile justice can be. For the industry and society, perhaps a moment of introspection.
Whether this verdict brings about closure… or stirs fresh controversies — only time will tell.
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