Protracted trial in actress assault case ruined my life: Dileep to HC

Kochi: Malayalam cinema actor Dileep has alleged that an attempt is being made to prolong the trial in the 2017 actress assault case in which he is an accused. In his plea to the Kerala High Court, he also claimed his life has been “ruined” because of the protracted trial. The prosecution's demand for a probe into the examination of the memory card was intended to extend the trial, Dileep told the court.

The actress who was sexually assaulted by gangsters in a moving car in February 2017 had recorded the act on their phone. The memory card, a crucial piece of evidence, was later recovered. However, the State Forensic Laboratory gave a report to the Crime Branch that the memory card was accessed more than once while in the custody of the court.

A petition filed by the survivor seeking a probe into the illegal access of the memory card was being considered by Justice K Babu, and Dileep’s lawyer B Raman Pillai apprised the court. Pillai asked the court not to allow the “efforts of the prosecution to infinitely prolong the trial”.

In response, the High Court asked what was wrong if the memory card had been verified. Director General of Prosecution (DGP) T A Shaji pointed out that it needs to be ensured nothing had happened to any of the visuals on the memory card. The DGP's arguments have not been completed.

The petition has been posted for further hearing on July 31 taking into account the availability of survivor's counsel Advocate Gaurav Agarwal on that day.