Actor Dileep says ‘thank God’ after court acquittal in 2017 Kerala sexual assault case

A trial court in Kochi on Monday (December 8, 2025) acquitted actor Dileep of all criminal charges in the 2017 Kerala actor rape case, ending nearly eight years of legal battle. The case gained national attention after a young female actor was allegedly kidnapped and raped inside a moving car on February 17, 2017.

In his first reaction after the acquittal, the actor said, “First of all, thank God. I am grateful to my family, my friends and everyone who stood by me and kept up their prayers.” He also expressed his gratitude to his legal team.

The prosecution alleged that Dileep conspired with first accused NS Sunil alias ‘Palsur Suni’ on three occasions to humiliate the victim, suggested filming the sexual assault and offered ₹1.5 crore for the act. Dilip, listed as the eighth accused, was acquitted of all crimes. Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese pronounced the verdict.

According to the verdict, one to six accused were declared guilty. The accused in the case include first accused NS Sunil, second accused Martin Antony, third accused B Manikandan, fourth accused VP Vijesh, fifth accused H. Salim alias Vadiwal Salim, sixth accused Pradeep, seventh accused Charlie Thomas, ninth accused Sanil Kumar alias Maestri Sanil and fifteenth accused Sarath Nair. Vishnu, Vipinlal and Anish had become government witnesses.

Pulsar Suni, a driver from Vengur in Ernakulam, was arrested on February 23, 2017 and detained for more than seven years as an undertrial before being released on stringent bail conditions in September 2024. He was charged under sections 120A, 120B of the IPC including gang rape, conspiracy, outraging the dignity of a woman, wrongful confinement, use of criminal force, destruction of evidence and taking and distributing obscene photographs. 109, 376, 342, 204 and 201.

The prosecution case states that the accused rammed a van into the actor’s vehicle near Athani to stage a fake accident, following which Manikandan and Vijesh forcefully entered, restrained the survivor, and were later joined by Pradeep as the vehicle drove towards Kalamassery. The prosecution alleged that Sunil threatened the actress, disrobed and raped her and recorded the act on his mobile phone as part of a prior conspiracy.

Charles (accused number seven) was accused of harboring some of the accused after the attack. The ninth accused, Sunil, was accused of conspiring with Sunil in jail to extort money by threatening Dilip. The fifteenth accused, Sarath, who was a friend of Dileep, was accused of handing over and destroying the alleged video file.