Judge Honey Varghese, who pronounced the verdict in the 2017 Kerala actor assault case, has been transferred from the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court to the Alappuzha District Court, according to reports. Justice KK Balakrishnan, who was serving as the Judge of the Alappuzha Principal Sessions Court, will replace her in Ernakulam. The transfers are reportedly part of routine administrative procedure.
In December 2025, Judge Honey delivered the verdict and sentence in the actor assault case. She acquitted actor Dileep, who had been alleged to be the mastermind behind the 2017 attack on a fellow actor. Six other men, accused of sexually assaulting the woman actor in a car in Kochi and videographing the attack, were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each.
Last month, Kerala’s Directorate of Prosecution reportedly informed the government that Judge Honey was not qualified to pronounce the verdict in the case, as she was connected to allegations concerning the illegal access of the memory card containing visuals of the assault. Earlier investigations into the possible leak of the visuals found that the memory card had been illegally accessed three times, including once while it was kept sealed in Judge Honey’s court.
In January, senior advocate TB Mini also moved the High Court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Judge Honey over alleged personal remarks made by the judge against her in open court. Advocate Mini had represented the survivor actor in certain cases before the High Court, including one relating to the illegal access of the memory card.
During the trial, both the survivor actor and the state government had sought the transfer of the case from Judge Honey’s court on more than one occasion, alleging bias.