Malayalam Actor Dileep Declared 'NOT GUILTY' In Abduction And Se**al Assault Case Of Leading Actress

Malayalam actor Dileep is leading the headlines at the moment as his eight-year-long trial's verdict came out on December 8, 2025. For the unversed, the case dates back to February 2017, when a leading Malayalam actress was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted inside a moving car while travelling from Thrissur to Ernakulam. The incident shocked the entire Malayalam industry.

Court declares Dileep ‘not guilty’ in actress assault case

As the entire nation waited with bated breath, a Kerala court found actor, Dileep, accused number eight, not guilty in the 2017 actor assault case. The trial, which lasted eight long years, finally delivered its verdict, dismissing Dileep of all charges. The judge, however, found accused numbers one to six guilty of rape, criminal conspiracy, abduction, and other offences. They were convicted under Sections 120B, 340, 354, 366, 354B, and 376D of the Indian Penal Code.

What was the shocking 2017 case of an actress’s assault?

It was in 2017, when a leading Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men. According to the prosecution, a vehicle rammed into her car near Angamaly, after which a group of men confronted the driver, forcibly entered the vehicle, and drove it along the national highway.

Soon, ten names were accused of the heinous act, which included Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H, Pradeep, Charly Thomas, Dileep (real name P Gopalakrishnan), Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil, and Sharath. The first accused, Pulsar Suni, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the actress and recorded the act on his mobile phone. The survivor was later abandoned outside a film director’s residence.

Dileep’s arrest in the actress’s assault case

Actor Dileep was named as the eighth accused in the case. He, along with others, was charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including conspiracy, kidnapping, sexual assault, gang rape, destruction of evidence, and common intention, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Actor Dileep was arrested in 2017. He was later acquitted as the prosecution couldn't prove the conspiracy charges against him. Soon, Dileep was named as the mastermind behind the actress’s abduction and assault, as she was his ex-wife Manju Warrier's friend and had reportedly informed her about his alleged affair with Kavya Madhavan.

During the trial, his ex-wife, Manju, appeared before the court and spoke for the first time about her divorce from the actor and his extramarital affair being the reason behind the same. In her words:

“I divorced Dileep in 2015 and the extramarital relationship between him and Kavya was the reason behind it. Even before we separated two years before that, there was constant friction between us regarding his relationship with Kavya. And at times, that has paved way for major fights between us. What I heard from the assaulted actor only reinforced what I already knew about the two.”

What do you think about Dileep’s verdict?

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