Actor Dileep is granted anticipatory bail by the Kerala HC.

The Kerala High Court approved actor Dileep and others' anticipatory bail request in the latest case against them for conspiracy to eliminate officers investigating the sexual assault of an actress in 2017. This is a big defeat for the prosecution.

The actor was given relief by Justice Gopinath P., who stated that the police's suspicions of non-cooperation and influencing witnesses might be addressed by imposing conditions, and if these were breached, a plea may be filed for the accused's arrest despite the award of anticipatory bail.

In their opposition to the plea, the police alleged in court that Dileep and the others were not helping with the investigation in the most recent FIR filed against them. In response to the claims, the actor claimed that the case was "manufactured" and "manipulation."

During arguments, T.A. Shaji, the Director General of Prosecution, and additional public prosecutor P. Narayanan, representing the police, told the court that the nature and gravity of the accusations against them, as well as their conduct thus far, barred them from receiving any relief. 

On the other hand, the actor and the other accused, including his brother and brother-in-law, claimed that they answered all of the police's questions throughout their three-day, 33-hour questioning. They claimed that they had just refused to make a confession, which had been misinterpreted as non-cooperation.

The new case was lodged on January 9 after an investigating officer filed a complaint based on a claimed audio tape of Dileep that was telecast by a TV channel. The actor was purportedly heard plotting to assassinate the investigating officer in the video.

Sections 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offence), 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 of the Indian Penal Code were used to charge the actor and five others (criminal act done by several people).

On the night of February 17, 2017, the actress-victim, who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, was kidnapped and molested for two hours in her car by some people who forced their way into the vehicle and then escaped in a crowded place. The perpetrators filmed the entire incident in order to blackmail the actress. In the 2017 case, there are ten defendants, and seven have been arrested. Following that, Dileep was detained and released on bail. The Kerala High Court allowed actor Dileep and others' anticipatory bail plea in the latest case against them alleging conspiracy to eliminate officers investigating the sexual assault of an actress in 2017. This is a major setback for the prosecution.

According to sources acquainted with the inquiry, the police were faced with the difficult job of demonstrating a plot involving Dileep.

Also read: In the case of the nun rape in Kerala, Bishop Franco Mulakkal was acquitted.