Kochi: Woman judge to hear actress assault case

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday entrusted the trial of the actor assault case with the Ernakulam CBI court judge Honey M. Varghese and directed the court to try to complete the trial in nine months. The court, which considered a petition by the actress, rejected the contentions of Dileep and key accused Pulsar Suni not to accede to her petition.

The High Court has also directed that the trial of the case should not affect the progress of the other cases being considered by the CBI court. With the order, the case will be transferred from the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court to the CBI court.

Prior to delegating the case, the High Court had sought the opinion of the CBI court. The judge reported that she had not been entrusted with any new case from March.

Counsel for Dileep and Pulsar Suni said if the case was transferred out of Ernakulam based on the demand of the actress, it will open the floodgates of such petitions. The court pointed out the actress had given the petition citing the CrPC section and Supreme Court order which had said that special courts can be allowed in sexual assault cases. All other such petitions will be considered on merit.

The government counsel informed the court that Dileep and the co-accused were trying to delay the trial proceedings indefinitely with each accused lodging separate cases. They even force adjournment of cases in the Supreme Court.

The High Court single bench declined to entertain the petition filed by Dileep and Pulsar Suni to implead in the case.

The chargesheet says that the quotation gang led by Pulsar Suni   assaulted the actress while coming to Kochi from Thrissur on February 17, 2017.