Kochi, Dec. 8 -- Bringing an eight-year legal battle to a dramatic close, the Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court today acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep in the 2017 abduction and sexual assault case involving a leading actress.
Judge Honey M. Varghese ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish Dileep's alleged role in the conspiracy or in subsequent attempts to tamper with evidence.
While Dileep - the eighth accused - walked free of all charges, the court found six other accused, including the prime suspect Pulsar Suni (Sunil N.S.), guilty of abducting and sexually assaulting the actress on the night of February 17, 2017. Sentencing for the convicted accused will be pronounced on December 12.
The case had its origins ...