Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed the petition moved by actor Dileep, accused in the 2017 actress assault case, seeking to adjourn hearing of the complaint of the survivor over unauthorised access of a cell phone memory card.
In the complaint, the actress demanded the High Court's intervention in the alleged unauthorised access of the memory card which is a crucial evidence in the case.
In his plea, Dileep alleged that the complainant moved the fresh petition to prolong the trial and verdict in the case.
But rejecting Dileep's plea, the High Court observed that only Dileep raised complaint over launching a probe into the alleged tampering with the evidence.
The government counsel also upheld the demand of the survivor. The HC will pronounce its verdict into the survivor's complaint soon.
Dileep's counsel questioned the survivor's intention behind the new complaint when the court was considering her plea seeking intervention in the alleged illegal access of the memory card.
“Survivor and proseuction are eyeing to halt the pronouncement of the verdict in the case as the trial court already recorded statements of over 250 witnesses in the case. I have obtained the evidence to prove that no one tampered with the memory card so far. It will be disclosed during the trial. Cross-examination of the witnesses from the Forensic Science Laboratory is not completed yet. Releasing the evidence to prove arguments will affect the trial. My arguments will be informed to the court in a sealed cover,” said Dileep.
During the heated arguments on Monday, the survivor's counsel rubbished Dileep's allegations and noted that the Supreme Court had extended the time to complete the trial. The apex court directed the trial court in Ernakulam to complete the trial by March 31, 2024.
The Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car by a gang in Kochi on February 17, 2017. The perpetrators filmed the assault. Actor Dileep was arrested and jailed for nearly six months for his alleged links with the gang.
The trial of the case was interrupted in 2022 when director Balachandra Kumar raised serious allegations against Dileep. He claimed that he met the prime accused in the case Pulsar Suni at Dileep's residence back in 2016.
