Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to obtain and place on record instructions regarding the progress of five FIRs that were registered against media outlets for allegedly violating the court-imposed embargo on reporting trial proceedings in the 2017 Malayalam actress assault case.

The directive was issued by Justice C Pratheep Kumar while he was hearing a petition filed by actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, alleging that certain media organisations had breached the prohibition on publication, broadcast and telecast of in-camera trial proceedings.

What did Dileep’s counsel argue?

Dileep's counsel submitted that although the FIRs were registered in 2022 pursuant to the court's order dated January 18, 2022, no substantial investigation had taken place since. At this stage, the court orally observed, "The purpose of this petition is already over."

However, Dileep's counsel maintained that while the immediate purpose of the petition might have been achieved, it was essential that the legal process reached a logical and conclusive end.

What was the State’s response?

The public prosecutor sought additional time to gather instructions from the investigating agencies regarding the FIRs. As a result, the court adjourned the matter to next week.

When will the trial court deliver its verdict?

Meanwhile, the Principal District and Sessions Court, Ernakulam, is scheduled to deliver its judgment in the sensational actress assault case on December 8.

Background of the case

The case, which has gripped Kerala's film industry and the public, relates to the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent Malayalam actor in a moving vehicle on the outskirts of Kochi in February 2017. Dileep is alleged to have conspired in the crime and hired those who carried out the assault.

The trial, one of the most closely watched in Kerala's legal history, extended for over six years and involved more than 200 witnesses, several forensic examinations and repeated legal confrontations over the admissibility of evidence and media reporting.

(Agency inputs)