Kochi: Actor and filmmaker Lal has clarified that it was he, not late Congress MLA PT Thomas, who had called then DGP Loknath Behera when the survivor in the 2017 actress assault case reached his house after the attack.

He was reacting to the court verdict in the actress's assault case.

Lal said he had done everything he could from his side during the case. “On the day the girl ran to my house, I wanted the accused to be killed. Later, when I thought about it, I prayed that they should receive the maximum punishment possible. I am happy with this verdict,” he said.

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He added that he had only limited knowledge about the conspiracy aspect of the case. “I don’t know why the verdict turned out the way it did. I am not sure whether the court said the accused was not guilty or whether there was insufficient evidence,” he said.

“If the case goes to the higher court, I am ready to share whatever I know,” Lal added.

The Ernakulam Sessions Court had on Monday acquitted Malayalam actor and the 8th accused, Dileep, in the 2017 case. The case pertained to an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films and was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017.

Also Read: ‘Thanks to God’: Dileep’s first reaction after acquittal in actress assault case

Dileep, who was accused of conspiring and hiring a gang to execute the crime, was found not guilty of the allegation that he orchestrated the assault.

A total of 261 witnesses were examined, many in camera, including several prominent film personalities, with 28 witnesses turning hostile. Over the years, two special prosecutors stepped down, and the survivor's request to replace the presiding judge was denied.

The prosecution submitted 833 documents and 142 material objects, while the defence produced 221 documents. Witness examination alone spanned 438 days.

The court, however, today found the accused from no. 1 to no. 6 guilty and will pronounce punishment for those found guilty on December 12.