Kerala actor assault case prime accused gets bail
The entire assault was filmed by the gang to blackmail the actress
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A trial court in Kerala has granted bail to the first accused in the Kerala actor sexual assault case. He walked out of the jail on Friday evening.
The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, on Friday, granted bail to Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the 2017 actor assault case. The bail comes with strict conditions, including the use of only one SIM card, a restriction on travelling outside the court's jurisdiction, no communication with other accused individuals in the case, refraining from attempting to influence any witnesses, and a ban on media interaction.
The Supreme Court had earlier granted bail to Pulsar Suni on September 17, directing the sessions court to finalize his release conditions.
Suni, who has been incarcerated since February 2017, is accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a renowned Malayalam film actress, purportedly under the direction of actor Dileep, a co-accused in the case. Previously, Suni had alleged that Dileep orchestrated the crime.
On the night of February 17, 2017, the Malayalam actress was reportedly assaulted in her car for two hours by individuals who had forcibly entered the vehicle. The group fled after the incident, which caused a stir throughout the state, particularly within the Malayalam film industry.
The entire assault was filmed by the gang to blackmail the actress.
There are 10 accused in the sensational case including actor Dileep. The investigation team had arrested Dileep following his alleged links with the criminal gang earlier. The assault case involving the actor sparked significant protests from a group of women in the Malayalam film industry. This horrific incident gave rise to the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which presented a petition to the Chief Minister, calling for his attention to the challenges faced by women in the film industry.
The WCC initiative led to the setting up of the Hema Committee which studied the issues in detail and submitted a comprehensive report to the government. The report came into the public domain only recently resulting in a major upheaval.
Cases of rape and sexual assault were registered against several Malayalam film personalities including actors Siddique, Mukesh, Maniyanpillai Raju, Edavela Babu, and director Ranjith based on the complaints filed by female actors. Pulsar Suni first sought bail from Kerala High Court in March 2022, which was rejected.
He approached the Supreme Court which declined to grant bail in July 2022.
HC rejected the second bail plea in March 2023. , due to the severity of the charges.
The SC denied bail again on April 23.
On June 3, the HC dismissed his tenth bail plea.