No one must have ever speculated such a long stay for Dileep in jail. There is no solid evidence as of now to prove his part in conspiring to attack an actress in Kochi on February 17. Yet, the judicial custody of the beleaguered actor is getting extended. The courts, as a practice, heed to the investigators' demand for time to garner clinching evidence which could help nail the accused.
The probe, characterized by cinema-style twists and turns, left the actor's fate hanging in balance, and at one stage, it seemed it was all over for Dileep. The embattled actor's choice of Ramkumar as lawyer was greeted with the same brouhaha as did reports of his indictment in the case. But the senior counsel could not bring much cheers to the actor neither in the form of a bail nor any other court observation in his favor.
So, Dileep's move to change his lawyer was the most natural and likely outcome. "Dileep has the full right to change a lawyer if he deems it necessary. He has only exercised his personal right when he felt that Ramkumar was not doing him any good," Ravi, a senior lawyer in Kottayam, said. "With the magistrate court and the Kerala High Court refusing to grant bail, Dileep is unlikely to approach the Supreme Court immediately. But his arguments will be stronger than before in the High Court,” he added.
One of the crucial factors that stands in favor of Dileep in the case is the absence of any strong material evidence that directly or indirectly connects the actor with the crime. Besides, the mobile phone which allegedly captured the act of crime has since been eluding the police team after the heinous incident came to light. And, now, Dileep's tactical move to replace Ramakumar with B. Raman Pillai seems to have started paying off. He displayed a renewed vigor to dare the police team with tough questions and countered every argument of the probe team that connected him with the case.
Seasoned investigators said Raman Pillai had the clinical ability of a criminal lawyer to turn the tide in favor of the client. He, they said, would tear into prosecution contentions and arguments by bringing up alibis and putting forth counter-arguments. The grapevine is that the prosecution would struggle to establish conspiracy on part of Dileep as there is no clinging evidence to prove it. That Dileep and prime accused Pulsar Suni was in the same tower location would feed media frenzy but may not pass for 'credible evidence' in court, sources said.
Raman Pillai is now vehemently trying to establish that the whole case against Dileep was the result of a conspiracy by his foes and detractors in the film industry. A smart move by Dileep by far has been that he was able to force a change in the direction of the tide of mass sentiment that was unleashed against him after he was arraigned. With the police still not able to put up a concrete case against Dileep, denied bail time and again, the public may be swept by a sympathy wave.
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