Actor Dileep was charged with conspiracy to kidnap and molest the actress inside her car (File)
Thiruvananthapuram:
The new Special Public Prosecutor appointed in the 2017 case of abduction and sexual assault of a Kerala actor has stepped down. This is the second time in almost a year that a special public prosecutor has resigned from the high-profile case. The first person stepped down just days after the Kerala High Court dismissed the victim’s plea to replace the judge of the lower court.
The matter is at a crucial stage of hearing, as the Kerala High Court has set the February 16 deadline to conclude the case – after a second extension of six months – near.
In February 2017, a female actor was allegedly abducted and sexually abused while on her way to Kochi for work. The accused had allegedly filmed the crime. Malayalam film star Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, was arrested in July 2017 and released on bail two months later.
He was charged with conspiracy to kidnap and molest the actress inside the car.
Police on Wednesday demanded a fresh probe into the scathing allegations leveled against actor Dileep by film director Balachandra Kumar. The director, in his complaint to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last month, had alleged that he had seen the prime accused in the case, Pulsar Sunni, at actor Dileep’s house. He further accused Dileep of watching tapes of the attack at his residence with a group of friends before presenting evidence before the court and has submitted audio recordings from the actor’s house including alleged attempts to influence key witnesses.
Women in Cinema Collective, an organization working for women in the Malayalam cinema industry, has also demanded action on these allegations.
“Is the law and order machinery of our state seeing this important testimony of Mr. Balachandra Kumar which has recently surfaced in the media? Is there illegal action like alleged action in interview, bribery and/or intimidation of important people . Witness?” The organization said in its statement. The statement also demanded police protection based on his request to the director and was signed with the hashtag “#Avalkoppam” – “with her” in Malayalam.
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