Actor Dileep
Kochi: In a new development in the actress attack case, the survivor has approached the high court against Dileep's plea seeking cancellation of further investigation into the case. The actress submitted a request before the court seeking permission to join as a party in Dileep's petition. She also appealed to the court to give time to file the petition. Following this, the court deferred the case to Monday.
Being the first witness and the complainant in the case, she approached the court requesting to hear her arguments before passing any order in connection with the case.
The prosecution is also opposing Dileep's plea.
Dileep claims that the reinvestigation initiated as per Balachandra Kumar's statements aims to wreak vengeance on him. Therefore, Dileep wants the probe to be dismissed.
The actor, in his plea filed through advocates Philip T Varghese and Thomas T Varghese, has contended that further investigation in that case was not permissible as a final report had been filed in November 2017, charges were framed in January 2020 and only one prosecution witness -- one of the investigating officers -- remained to be examined.
The petition has alleged that under the guise of further investigation, "a series of vindictive acts" were being carried out by the police.
One instance of such acts was the allegedly false case foisted on the actor and other male members of his family accusing them of conspiring to murder police officers investigating the actress assault case, the petition has claimed.
It has sought quashing of the report, filed by the police in the trial court, allegedly containing the statement of Balachandra Kumar and further proceedings pursuant to the same.
Kumar had recently made some startling revelations against Dileep in the actress assault case through the media.
He has also claimed that there is evidence including digital ones to prove that Dileep had influenced the witnesses.
The actor's latest plea has also sought a declaration that further probe being carried out in that case was illegal and a direction to the trial court to "eschew" the same from the record.
The actress, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some persons who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017 and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by those persons to blackmail the actress.
There are 10 accused in the 2017 case and police have arrested seven. Dileep was arrested subsequently and released on bail.
(with inputs from PTI)
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