Kerala Court Acquits Actor Dileep in 2017 Assault Conspiracy Case; Prime Accused Pulsar Suni and Five Others Convicted

Kerala: In a landmark verdict following nearly eight years of intense legal proceedings, a Kerala sessions court on Monday acquitted prominent Malayalam actor Dileep, also known as P. Gopalakrishnan, the eighth accused in the 2017 sexual assault and abduction case. However, the court simultaneously convicted the prime accused, Sunil Kumar alias Pulsar Suni, along with five other individuals directly involved in the assault.

The verdict was pronounced by the Additional Special Sessions Court (SPE/CBI–III), Ernakulam, presided over by Special Judge Honey M. Varghese. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish the conspiracy charge against Dileep beyond reasonable doubt.

Dileep had been charged with criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly orchestrating what has been described as the first case of “quotation rape,” involving the hiring of individuals to rape a woman. The prosecution claimed that Dileep masterminded and financed the crime as an act of personal vengeance, alleging that the survivor had exposed his relationship with actor Kavya Madhavan to his then-wife, Manju Warrier. The court held that the evidence presented by the prosecution did not conclusively link Dileep to the alleged conspiracy to abduct and assault the survivor.

Following his acquittal, Dileep claimed that the “real conspiracy” was an attempt to frame him and destroy his career, alleging that a few police officials “used the first accused” and the media to spread a false narrative. He also suggested that the conspiracy against him was connected to statements made by his former wife, Manju Warrier, after she hinted at foul play.

While the conspiracy charge against Dileep collapsed, the court found Pulsar Suni guilty of rape. Suni was held responsible for carrying out the assault and recording the visuals that were later used to extort the survivor. The court also found five co-accused — Martin Antony, Manikandan B., Vijeesh V. P., Salim H., and Pradeep — guilty. These individuals, whom the judge held directly involved in the crime, were convicted under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, use of criminal force to outrage modesty, use of force with the intention to disrobe a woman, and gang rape. They were also convicted under provisions of the Information Technology Act for recording the sexual assault. The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of sentence for the six convicted individuals on December 12.

Special Public Prosecutor V. Ajayakumar stated that the prosecution would study the ruling, saying, “We need to examine the judgment to understand why the court did not consider the evidence presented against Dileep.” The survivor’s counsel, Advocate T. B. Mini, stated that she would comment after reviewing the judgment in detail.

The case, concerning the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent woman actor in a moving car in Kochi on February 17, 2017, has been among the most closely watched in Kerala’s history. The trial, which began in January 2020 and spanned nearly five years, was marked by intense legal battles and delays. The proceedings saw allegations of digital-evidence tampering, several hostile witnesses, and multiple petitions filed by the accused. The prosecution team changed several times, and both the survivor and the state government repeatedly sought the replacement of Judge Honey M. Varghese, citing alleged bias — pleas that were rejected at various judicial levels.

The matter escalated further when a forensic report revealed irregularities concerning digital evidence, showing that the memory card containing visuals of the assault — which was in the custody of the court — had been accessed illegally.

Beyond the courtroom, the case triggered a reckoning over systemic misogyny, abuse of power, and unsafe working conditions within the Malayalam film industry. In 2017, the incident led to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). The WCC’s activism prompted the Kerala government to constitute the Hema Committee in 2019 to study workplace harassment and gender discrimination. Although the committee submitted its report the same year, its heavily redacted findings became public only in August 2024 after a Kerala High Court order, sparking a renewed wave of #MeToo allegations in the industry.

Dileep, who was arrested on July 10, 2017, had been released on conditional bail in October 2017. Suni, who had been in custody since 2017, was granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024, citing extensive delays in the trial.