Dileep. Photo: PTI/File
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Saturday held a special sitting to hear the bail plea of actor Dileep and other accused in a case for conspiring to attack investigation officers involved in the actor abduction case. The counsel for the defendant stated that the case is fabricated and was raised by those police officers who had grudge against the actor. The counsel also outrightly dismissed the statement given by director Balachandra Kumar and added that case was filed to obstruct the proceedings in the actor abduction case.
Justice P Gopinath also raised doubts over the legal validity of the case. The court pointed out that an accused can be convicted only when a crime is committed. However, here crime has not been committed. Citing the Supreme Court verdicts from the past, the court asked the prosecution how something said by someone can be regarded as a reason for conspiracy?
However, the prosecution replied that new evidence has been submitted before the court and is valid enough to ascertain that the accused had conspired to attack the investigation officers. There was a clear case of conspiracy involved in the incident, the prosecution said. However, they refused to share more details about the evidence in the open court.
Meanwhile, the court also viewed that allegations over the conspiracy in the case can be investigated.
Postponed multiple times, Justice P Gopinath on Friday observed that the case needed a detailed analysis before providing the verdict.
Actor Dileep, brother Anoop, brother-in-law TN Sooraj, relative Appu, friend Baiju Chengamanad and Aluva naive Sarath sought bail as police booked them for conspiring to attack the investigating officers in the actor assault and sexual harassment case of 2017.
The state government on Thursday informed the court that a criminal 'quotation' gang being assigned to abuse a woman and shoot the visuals and then plan to attack the investigating officers are first of its kind in Kerala and bail should not be given to the accused.
Meanwhile, the crime branch has imposed new charges against actor Dileep in the conspiracy case. The officials charged the actor for conspiring to murder along with section 120(b) imposed earlier. The Crime Branch sought permission from the court to take him under custody for questioning.
Earlier, the FIR only mentioned that there was a conspiracy on the part of the actor. However, an additional report was later submitted. Investigating officer Crime Branch SP MP Mohanachandran filed the report on January 13 to the Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate Court.
The new case was filed following the 'revelations' of a former friend of Dileep, director Balachandra Kumar, who has already provided a confidential statement in the case. In his interviews to the media, Kumar alleged that a 'VIP' had arranged the visuals of the attack for Dileep when he was out on bail, and the actor, along with the 'VIP' and others, planned to attack the investigating officers.
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