The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to actress assault case prime accused Pulsar Suni. Suni has been lodged in the Ernakulam sub-jail in Kerala since the last 7.5 years. In his bail plea, Suni had acknowledged the seriousness of the alleged crime but argued that the prolonged criminal trial process should not be equated with his punishment.

Suni's plea highlighted that many witnesses remain to be examined and that the trial has been complicated by issues unrelated to him. He claimed that the involvement of a celebrity in the case has contributed to delays, resulting in his pre-trial detention lasting over seven years.

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The plea also mentioned the negative impact on Suni’s family, including the poor health of his elderly mother, and argued that his presence would provide crucial support and reassurance to his family.

Apex court ruling

A bench of Justices A S Oka and Pankaj Mithal was hearing Sunil's plea challenging the Kerala High Court order dismissing his bail application in the case.

The bench considered his long period of incarceration of over seven years and also that the trial proceedings in the case were not likely to conclude soon.

The court's decision came in response to severe criticisms of the trial court's handling of the case. Specifically, the Court noted the 87-day cross-examination of investigating officer Baiju Paulose by actor Dileep’s defence lawyer, which raised concerns about the trial's inefficiency.

The top court said Sunil should be produced before the trial court within a week for imposition of bail conditions for his release.

The apex court granted bail to Suni despite the state government's objections, which argued that granting bail to the accused could pose a threat to society.

It said the prosecution may argue before the trial court for stringent conditions to be imposed for his release on bail.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some people 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 people to blackmail the actress.

The police have arrested several persons in connection with the case. Dileep was also arrested in the case and was later released on bail.

In its order passed on June 3, the high court dismissed his bail plea and imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on him.