It’s been 50 days since he has been in police custody, but actor Dileep has still not managed to get any relief. The Kerala High Court on Tuesday rejected bail to the actor who had been arrested by the police on 10 July. The sensational case and the actor’s arrest had opened a Pandora’s box about the Malayalam film industry.
The Kerala High Court rejected Dileep’s bail for a second time and agreed with the prosecution that he could influence witnesses if out on bail. His first bail plea was rejected by the Magistrate court.
What seems to be going against Dileep is his initial statement that he did not know the main accused in the case, Pulsar Suni.
Though Dileep had claimed that he did not know Pulsar Suni, his wife Kavya Madhavan has reportedly told police that Suni was her driver and she had once handed over money to him given by Dileep.
The Angamaly court had earlier on 22 August extended Dileep's judicial custody till 2 September.
Dileep, the eleventh accused in the case of abduction and alleged sexual assault of a woman actor, had applied for bail to the Kerala HC in the first week of August. This is the third time he had applied for bail, after his two previous applications were denied by the court. It was the same bench that previously rejected bail to the actor, that heard his third bail application.
Dileep applied for bail the third time through his new counsel Advocate Raman Pillai. Advocate Raman Pillai argued in court that the memory card in which the visuals of the attack were said to have been saved had been recovered by the police. He argued that the police themselves have said that the mobile phone which was used to record the act was destroyed and questioned the basis on which Dileep was being held in custody.
Dileep's lawyer told the court that the letter that Pulsar Suni is said to have written to Dileep, was a pre-planned script. If indeed Suni's claim that he was promised Rs 1.5 crore by Dileep was true, wouldn't he have tried to settle the matter?
Most of the witnesses in the case, including actor Ramya Nambeesan, are friends of the woman survivor.
Dileep said that he was being targeted by the media.
Meanwhile, the police maintained that there were witnesses to prove that Dileep and the prime accused Pulsar Suni had met at hotel Abad Plaza on 14 March 2013.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Angamaly court had extended Dileep's judicial custody till 2 September, after this remand period came to an end on Tuesday.
(This article was originally published on The News Minute).
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)