In a setback to Malayalam actor Dileep, one of the prime accused in the Kerala actor assault case, the Additional Special Sessions Court in Ernakulam on Saturday rejected his discharge plea. Dileep had filed a discharge plea in the court asking to relieve his name from the accused list.
Dileep, the eighth accused in the Kerala actor assault case, is alleged to have masterminded the attack on a leading Malayalam actor. It was in February 2017 that the actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle in Kochi.
Dileep had filed the discharge petition last week after examining the controversial memory card visuals of the actor being attacked. It was following the Supreme Court order that Dileep, his counsel and a digital expert were allowed to examine the visuals at the trial court in Ernakulam. Following this, he approached the court stating that the visuals were not found to be authentic and that he should be removed from the accused list of persons. He had also argued that prima facie the case cannot be sustained because of it.
The court has also rejected the discharge petition of tenth accused Vishnu.
Dileep has been accused of delaying the trial proceedings of the case. It was after a stay of about six months that the pretrial proceedings in the case finally started last November.
It remains to be seen whether Dileep will approach the High Court, appealing against the trial court’s order rejecting his discharge plea. The Supreme Court had in November ordered that the trial proceedings should be completed in six months’ time. Justice Honey M Varghese at the Additional Special Sessions Court had also earlier criticised Dileep’s counsel for trying to delay the trial proceedings of the case.
The memory card which contains the visuals of the assault on the actor is the one of the primary evidences in the case. Last month, the trial court had also allowed five other accused persons including prime accused Pulsar Suni to examine the visuals on their request.
Preliminary hearing of the prosecution is already over, while preliminary hearing of the defence is presently underway at the trial court. Following this, the court will frame charges against the accused persons before the trial proceedings will commence.
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