Tracing eight years of Kerala actress assault case: A Timeline

The abduction and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam actress in February 2017 triggered one of the most closely watched criminal investigations in Kerala. What began as a shocking late-night attack soon grew into a complex legal battle involving charges of conspiracy, contested digital evidence, multiple rounds of witness examination and intense scrutiny of the film industry’s power structures. Over eight years, the case moved through several phases of investigation, supplementary chargesheets, judicial interventions and petitions related to the handling of the crucial memory card. The following timeline traces the key events from the night of the assault to the courtroom developments up to 2025, including the formation of the Hema Committee, which emerged in the wake of industry-wide concerns raised during the case.

2017

Feb 17: A prominent Malayalam actress is abducted by near Kochi, sexually assaulted in a moving car, and the attack is filmed. Survivor files police complaint.

Feb 19: Three accused arrested; Key accused Pulsar Suni remains absconding.

Feb 23: Pulsar Suni and Vijeesh surrender before court; survivor’s phone and memory card are handed over to police.

Apr 18: First chargesheet filed naming Pulsar Suni and six others.

May 18: Women in Cinema Collective petitions CM for action.

June (late): Investigation accelerates; letter allegedly from Suni to Dileep emerges; Dileep and Nadirsha questioned.

July 10: Dileep arrested by SIT for conspiracy and allegedly commissioning the assault. The actor allegedly planned the crime as revenge against the actress for informing his then wife Manju Warrier about his alleged afair with Kavya Madhavan, his current spouse.

July: AMMA expels Dileep.

July: State forms the Justice Hema Committee to investigate sexual harassment and workplace issues in Malayalam cinema.

Oct 3: Dileep granted bail after 85 days in custody.

Nov 22: Supplementary chargesheet filed naming 12 accused including Dileep; Manju Warrier listed as key witness.

Dec 5: Court accepts the chargesheet

2018

Jan 20: Dileep petitions for access to the memory card video; transfer of a key investigative officer triggers controversy.

Feb 7: Magistrate rejects plea for access to the assault video. The Magistrate Court in Angamaly shifts the trial to the Ernakulam District Sessions Court.

Mar–Apr: Dileep appeals to High Court and Supreme Court; both courts refuse to hand over the video citing survivor’s privacy.

June: AMMA reinstates Dileep; he declines to return after backlash.

Late 2018: Procedural hearings continue; witness summons issued.

2019

Nov 2019: Trial formally begins at the Ernakulam district court. But it is stopped after the actress approached the HC seeking a transfer of the trial to another court due to alleged bias of the judge.

Dec 2019: Justice Hema Committee submits its confidential report to the government (not released publicly).

2020

Jan 6: Charges framed against all 12 accused.

Jan 30: Trial proceedings resume, witness depositions begin.

Sep: Several witnesses turn hostile; prosecution raises concerns about interference.

Oct 28: Survivor petitions High Court seeking trial judge’s (Honey M Varghese) removal, alleging bias.

Nov 23: High Court dismisses plea to replace the judge.

Nov: Special Prosecutor resigns citing differences with the court.

Dec: State moves Supreme Court seeking permission to appoint a new judge; SC declines.

2021

Jan 4: New Special Public Prosecutor VN Anilkumar appointed.

Throughout 2021: Slow progress due to repeated witness recalls and Covid delays.

Dec 25: Director Balachandra Kumar releases audio recordings alleging Dileep possessed the assault video earlier and plotted to threaten investigators.

Dec 29: Anilkumar quits reportedly over a disagreement with judge Honey M Varghese.

2022

Jan 9: New FIR registered against Dileep and five others for alleged conspiracy to harm investigation officers.

Jan 10–20: SIT formed; multiple raids conducted at locations linked to Dileep.

Feb: SIT interrogates key witnesses again; digital forensics analysis ordered.

April: High Court grants Dileep anticipatory bail in the conspiracy-to-murder-officers case.

July: Trial court orders investigation team to find out who accessed the memory card after forensic team finds out that it was accessed thrice

2023

Feb–April: Forensic reports highlight concerns about possible access to, or alteration of, the memory card evidence, prompting fresh petitions on tampering.

June: Court allows limited re-examination of cyber forensic experts over memory card integrity.

Aug: Survivor files plea seeking an expedited verdict and protection from intimidation.

Sep: Government informs court that the Hema Committee report will remain confidential, but its findings indirectly relate to systemic issues highlighted by the case.

2024

Feb: Trial judge informs High Court that the case is in the “final phase of evidence evaluation”.

HC asks court to hand over memory card probe report to survivor

April: Prosecution submits final arguments focusing heavily on digital evidence and conspiracy.

Probe reveals 3 people who illegally accessed visuals of the crime

July: Defence arguments emphasise alleged contradictions in memory card handling and witness hostility.

Sept: SC grants bail to Pulsar Suni after 7.5 years in jail

Nov: High Court directs the trial court to conclude proceedings “without delay”.

2025

Jan: Trial enters last stage; court examines sealed memory card after long-running dispute over tampering allegations.

March: Final supplementary submissions filed by the prosecution, including clarifications on metadata changes in the memory card.

April: HC dismisses Dileep's plea seeking CBI probe

June: Defence files a fresh petition questioning alleged alterations in the hash value of the memory card; court hears arguments.

Oct: Court reserves judgment after concluding hearings on both main case and evidence-tampering issues.

Dec 2025: Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court judge to deliver verdict in the eight-year-old case.