Ernakulam: Actor Dileep has been cleared of all charges by a trial court in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the abduction and rape case of a prominent actress that took place in February 2017.
While six other accused have been convicted, the court ruled that charges of criminal conspiracy against Dileep were not proven beyond reasonable doubt. The judgement was delivered by Principal District and Sessions Court judge Honey M Varghese at a packed courthouse in Ernakulam. Security was tightened around the premises, with police barricading entrances and deploying personnel amid heightened public interest.
The survivor, a well-known actress who has appeared in more than 80 films across southern Indian cinema, was assaulted while travelling from Thrissur to Kochi. Indian law bars the identification of survivors of sexual crimes, though the actress chose to publicly speak about the incident in 2022.
Dileep, who had consistently denied involvement, was arrested in 2017 and spent nearly three months in custody before being granted bail. Investigators had charged multiple individuals with abduction, gang rape, criminal conspiracy and sexual assault. The sentencing of the six convicted men has been scheduled for December 12.
In earlier appearances, the survivor had described the assault as a turning point that caused lasting trauma. The attackers recorded the assault, an act believed to have been intended for blackmail. Following the incident, the case drew extensive media attention, much of which the survivor later described as deeply distressing.
Public reaction to the case was intense, with widespread debate on victim-shaming, online harassment and power imbalance in the Malayalam film industry. After years of silence, the survivor’s public statement in 2022 received support from several senior actors in Kerala cinema and from across India.
The case also prompted the Kerala government to appoint a judicial panel to examine conditions faced by women in the film sector. The resulting Hema Committee report pointed to systemic abuse, entrenched power structures and widespread sexual harassment within the industry.
The survivor retains the legal option to challenge the acquittal in the Kerala High Court. The verdict marks a significant moment in one of India’s most closely watched criminal trials involving the film industry.
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