One of India’s closely watched trials came to a halt on December 8 after the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted prominent Malayalam actor Dileep of charges of orchestrating the abduction and rape of a leading South Indian actress eight years ago. However, six other accused were found guilty.
The influential Malayalam actor, known for hits such as Kammara Sambhavam, Meesha Madhavan, Kalyanaraman, CID Moosa, and Kuberan, among others, stated outside the court that the “criminal conspiracy” against him began after his former wife, the prominent actress Manju Warrier, leveled charges against him.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the case, containing key events over the past eight years.
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February 17, 2017
A leading actress, known for her roles in movies across South Indian languages, was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men in a moving car. She was traveling to Kochi from her home in Thrissur.
The prime accused, Sunil Kumar, also known as Pulsar Suni, filmed the assault on a mobile phone.
February 18, 2017
The actress filed a complaint with the police about the incident, and a first information report, the basis for initiating an investigation in India, was registered. Three arrests were soon made.
April 2017
Police filed the first chargesheet, naming Pulsar Suni and six others.
May 2017
A group of women actors and other personalities united to form the Women in Cinema Collective. The collective met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and sought action.
June 2017
A letter allegedly written by Pulsar Suni surfaced, in which he claimed that he hadn’t “betrayed” Dileep and sought financial support. Dileep, however, refuted the allegations. This also marked the first time that the actor’s name was directly involved in the case.
A special investigation team interrogated Dileep and Malayalam filmmaker Nadirshah for around 13 hours.
July 2017
Dileep, who was then the treasurer of the Malayalam film body AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists), was arrested on charges of conspiracy. Business establishments belonging to his wife Kavya Madhavan were also raided.
Dileep was expelled from AMMA. The Kerala government formed the Justice Hema Committee to probe sexual harassment and other problems in Malayalam cinema.
October 2017
After spending nearly three months in jail, the Kerala High Court granted conditional bail to Dileep, on a bond of Rs 100,000 (Dh4,074 approximately) and that he surrender his passport.
November 2017
A second chargesheet was filed in the case, naming 12 accused; Dileep was listed at 8.
March 2018
The trial in the case began on March 8.
June 2018
Dileep moved the Kerala High Court to the federal investigating body, the Central Bureau of Investigation, saying he had no faith in the Kerala Police.
Actor Mohanlal, appointed as president of AMMA, moved to reinstate Dileep in the organization. The WCC objected; Dileep declined the request.
Throughout 2018, the actor requested footage of the assault in various courts. The Kerala government opposed the pleas, citing that it would violate the privacy of the survivor.
February 2019
The Kerala government appointed Justice Honey M Varghese to handle the case.
2020
Charges were framed against Dileep in January.
In the months to come, key witnesses such as actors Siddique, Edavela Babu, Bhama, and Bindu Panicker would turn hostile. They had initially stated they were aware of Dileep’s hostility to the survivor.
In October, the survivor moved the Kerala High Court, seeking a change of judge, noting that she was “biased.” The court turned down the request.
December 2021
Filmmaker Balachandrakumar alleged that he had seen Pulsar Suni at Dileep’s house and that Dileep, his family members, and a VIP viewed clips of the assault. The next day, special public prosecutor Anil Kumar stepped down over a disagreement with the judge. He had succeeded A Suresan.
A month later, a first information report was filed against Dileep for purportedly threatening investigating officials and influencing witnesses. In February, Dileep and others were granted anticipatory bail in the case.
June 2022
According to forensic reports, a memory card containing visuals of the assault was accessed repeatedly while in court custody, raising questions of tampering.
In September, the survivor wrote to the Supreme Court expressing concerns over the visuals getting leaked.
August 2024
The Kerala government made the Justice Hema Committee report public. The heavily-redacted version of the report revealed sordid stories of sexual harassment in Malayalam cinema. Office bearers of the AMMA, including Mohanlal, stepped down.
In December, Balachandrakumar died of a kidney ailment.
February 2025
The trial ended, but hearings continued for the next few months. A total of 261 witnesses were examined on camera since the trial began; 28 turned hostile.
December 2025
The verdict was announced on December 8, 2025; Dileep was acquitted. The judgment was pronounced by Honey M Varghese, Principal District and Sessions Court judge in Ernakulam city.
The sentencing for the six convicted men is set for December 12.
Several actors from the Malayalam film industry, including Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, and Remya Nambeesan, took to social media to share the campaign tagline Avalkoppam (We stand with her), which was first released by the WCC after the assault that took place in February 2017.
