Actor assault case involving Dileep: Court verdict on December 8

The long-running actor assault case, one of the most closely watched trials in Kerala in recent years, is finally nearing closure. The Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court on Tuesday (November 25) fixed December 8 as the date on which it will pronounce its verdict in this high-profile case in which Malayalam actor Dileep is the accused number 8 as one of the prime conspirators, bringing an eight-year legal battle to a decisive moment.

As the trial court prepares to deliver its judgment, the timeline of the case itself reads like a chronicle of twists, delays, controversies, and protracted courtroom arguments that have gripped the state since 2017.

The assault

The case began on the night of February 17, 2017, when a prominent Malayalam actress was abducted in a moving car near Kochi, assaulted, and filmed by the attackers. She managed to lodge a complaint the same night and an FIR was immediately registered. Within two days, the police arrested three of those involved.

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The primary accused, Sunil Kumar, known as Pulsar Suni, surrendered before the court after a brief manhunt, and investigators began piecing together what had happened inside the vehicle and who else was involved.

Dileep arrested

As the questioning widened, the investigation quickly pushed beyond the immediate crime. It reached a turning point in June 2017 when jailhouse statements and a controversial letter suggested the possibility of a conspiracy involving individuals outside the group of hired assailants. These developments led the Special Investigation Team to question actor Dileep, then one of the industry’s biggest stars.

By July that year, after hours of interrogation, he was arrested on allegations that he had conspired in the assault. His arrest sent shockwaves through the Malayalam film industry and the organisation representing actors, AMMA, had to expel him under mounting public pressure.

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Over the next few months, the prosecution filed a detailed chargesheet naming Dileep as the eighth accused. He secured bail after spending nearly three months in custody, but the pre-trial phase was marked by a series of petitions and counter-petitions. His efforts to obtain access to the video evidence of the assault were rejected first by the magistrate court, then by the Kerala High Court, and finally by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the trial itself was delayed as the case was transferred from Angamaly to the sessions court in Ernakulam.

Trial formally began in 2020

It was only in early 2020, three years after the incident, that the trial formally began with the court framing charges against all the accused. By then the case had already become a lightning rod for debates within the Malayalam film industry, where the survivor had spoken about facing subtle forms of isolation and pressure.

Also Read: 2017 actress assault case: Kerala HC declines to cancel actor Dileep's bail

During the trial, several witnesses turned hostile, complicating the prosecution’s efforts. The court proceedings slowed down again in 2020 and 2021, partly due to the pandemic, but also due to repeated disputes over evidence and allegations of attempts to influence witnesses.

Fresh allegations against Dileep

The case regained momentum late in 2021 after filmmaker Balachandra Kumar released audio recordings and made fresh allegations against Dileep. He claimed that the actor had viewed the assault visuals earlier than he admitted and that there had been discussions about retaliating against investigating officers. These claims prompted further inquiries and the reopening of certain aspects of the probe, adding yet another layer of complexity to the already-lengthy trial.

Also Read: Dileep case: Survivor meets Kerala CM, says 'satisfied with the probe'

By 2022 and 2023, the trial proceeded intermittently, with arguments stretching over hundreds of hours. The survivor appeared before the court and gave her testimony, reiterating her account of the night of the assault and the events that followed. Her statement became one of the strongest components of the prosecution’s case, particularly as several other witnesses withdrew or contradicted initial testimonies.

Final leg of the trial

The final leg of the trial extended through 2024 and into mid-2025. The prosecution and defence made their closing arguments, sometimes over multiple days at a stretch, laying out contrasting versions of the events of 2017. The defence argued that the case was built on assumptions and manipulated testimonies, while the prosecution maintained that the conspiracy was deliberate and meticulously planned.

The announcement that the verdict would be delivered on December 8 has reignited public interest in a case that has shaped conversations on power, accountability, misogyny, and the inner workings of the Malayalam film industry.

Survivor’s determination

For the survivor, the past eight years have been marked by repeated courtroom appearances, scrutiny from inside and outside the industry, and constant public attention. Her statements over the years have highlighted the emotional and professional toll of the case but also her determination to see it through.

Also Read: Actor Dileep, friend accused of destroying evidence in assault case: Kerala court

The industry itself has undergone visible change during this period. The formation of the 'Women in Cinema Collective', which resulted in the constitution of the Hema panel to enquire about the status of women in Malayalam cinema, the debates around representation and workplace safety, and the internal fault lines within AMMA all emerged in the wake of the assault.