MLA and actor Mukesh deposed before the special court in Kochi in the Kerala actor assault case on Tuesday. The actor, who is the 47th witness in the case, deposed in the trial court as part of the witness examination. The case, pertaining to the abduction and sexual assault of a leading woman actor in Kerala in 2017, is alleged to be the master-minded by actor Dileep, who is the eighth accused in the case.
Pulsar Suni, the first accused in the case, had been reportedly working as the driver of Mukesh for about one year before the attack on the actor. According to reports, Mukesh’s statements are important to prove the alleged conspiracy between Dileep and Pulsar Suni. Mukesh had earlier given statements that he was unaware about the alleged criminal record of Pulsar Suni. As per sources, Mukesh has not changed any of his earlier statements in court that were earlier stated to the investigation officers.
Following the assault on the actor in February 2017, Mukesh found himself in controversy after he made public statements extending support to Dileep, who had not yet been arrested at that time. In a press meet of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in July 2017, Mukesh along with MLA Ganesh Kumar, also an actor, lashed out at the reporters who asked about Dileep’s alleged involvement in the case. Mukesh, who shared the same stage with actor Dileep, made statements implying support for the actor.
But after the police made Dileep’s arrest a few days later, and along with the public outrage against the MLAs, Mukesh made a statement that he had believed Dileep who was like a brother to him and he denied any involvement.
Dileep, who was jailed for 85 days, but is currently out on bail. Recently, the prosecution counsel for the survivor actor approached the trial court asking to cancel his bail petition, alleging that Dileep tried to influence a key witness in the case.
The court has postponed the hearing in this matter to Friday. As per reports, the witness has also been summoned to appear in the court.