Thiruvananthapuram, Nov. 26 -- The Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court will deliver its verdict in the 2017 actress kidnapping and sexual assault case, in which Malayalam actor Dileep is the eighth accused, on December 8.

The verdict, set to be pronounced by Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese, comes eight years after the trial began in the case and after multiple reminders by the Supreme Court to expedite the case. The complainant had moved the higher courts twice demanding the replacement of the judge, leading to disruptions.

The case pertains to the kidnapping and rape of a woman actor in a moving car on the outskirts of Kochi on February 17, 2017 by a gang led by Sunil Kumar, alias 'Pulsar' Suni, the first accused ...