Even as the trial in the sensational Malayalam actor abduction and alleged assault case is set to begin, actor Dileep, who is accused of masterminding the crime, seems to be trying every trick in the book to delay the trial.
On Wednesday, Dileep, who is the eighth accused in the case, approached the Kerala High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
The accused actor alleged that the investigation conducted by the Kerala police was biased and that he has been deliberately framed in the case. Dileep argued that a trial based on this investigation cannot be just and sought a detailed probe by the CBI.
According to reports, Dileep has argued in his petition that he is innocent, and was arrested and made an accused in the case solely based on the statements given by the other accused.
This is not the first time Dileep has tried to delay the trial from starting. In the first week of March, just a few days before the trial proceedings were to begin, Dileep had approached the Kerala High Court asking for a delay in the starting of the trial. At the time, he had argued that he hadn’t received all the documents in the case yet. His plea was, however, not entertained by the court, which held that the trial cannot be delayed.
Dileep, a popular actor and an influential person in the Malayalam film industry, is alleged to be the mastermind behind the crime. According to the charge sheet filed by the police, Dileep held a grudge against the survivor and hired others, including prime accused Sunil Kumar, also known as Pulsar Suni, to assault the actor and film the act.
Earlier in 2017, he had written to the home secretary asking for the investigation team to be reconstituted or order a CBI probe into the case.
The popular woman actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car in February last year, when she was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi. The crime sent shock waves across the state and in the entertainment industry in the country.