Actor assault: HC rejects Dileep's plea to stop further probe

Kochi: The Kerala High Court rejected Malayalam actor Dileep's plea, who sought suspension of the further probe into the 2017 assault case in which he is the eighth accused, The Indian Express reported,

The bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath ruled that the investigation into the case must be finished by April 15.

Dismissing the petition, the HC said, "It is made clear that this court has not made any findings or observations as to the veracity, truthfulness or reliability of the disclosures made by Balachandrakumar in his petition, or as to the genuineness, relevance or acceptability of any material collected by the investigating agency so far in the ongoing further investigation.''

The prosecution re-commenced the investigation into the matter earlier this year after the fresh allegations levelled by Balachandrakumar, who had left Dileep's acquaintanceship.

According to Balachandrakumar, Dileep, at his home, has watched the tape of the actor being assaulted. He alleged that Dileep had a close relationship with Pulsar Suni. He accessed the footage after he was released on bail. After that, the trial court directed the probe team to investigate Balchandrakumar's allegations, which stated that one of the accused watched the video before it was submitted before the court. Meanwhile, Dileep had argued in court that Balachandrakumar is a tool in the hands of the investigation officer, and his new allegations were fabricated after the officer realized that evidence his team found insufficient to trap the actor.

The police had submitted a final report in the case in November 2017, and charges were mounted on Dileep in January 2020. The trial is underway at a special court in Kochi.