Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 9 -- A Kerala court on Monday convicted six people but acquitted actor Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress abduction and gang rape case that made national headlines, sent shock waves through the Malayalam film industry and prompted far-reaching shifts in state movie bodies.

Ernakulam principal sessions judge Honey M Varghese read out the verdict in a packed courtroom shortly after 11 am, capping a trial that ebbed and flowed over seven years, stunning the state's public consciousness and precipitating landmark changes in the film industry.

The sentence will be pronounced on Friday.

The trial court found six accused -- Sunil NS, aka 'Pulsar' Suni, Martin Antony, B Manikandan, VP Vijeesh, H Salim and Pradeep -...