Daijiworld Media Network - Aluva
Aluva, Dec 8: Malayalam actor Dileep received a hero’s welcome at his residence ‘Padmasarovaram’ on Monday, just hours after being acquitted in the 2017 actress abduction and sexual assault case.
He arrived home around 1:15 p.m., but the short journey from his car to the doorstep turned into a long walk through a densely packed crowd of cheering supporters who had filled both the street and the compound.
Inside, emotions ran high. His daughter Mahalakshmi ran to embrace him, soon joined by his wife Kavya Madhavan, his sister, and several close friends and relatives who had gathered to support him.
Outside, celebrations erupted with laddoo distribution, while security forces maintained tight control over the swelling crowd.
Even as festivities played out, the Kerala government announced it would appeal the verdict. Law Minister P. Rajeeve stated that the State remains committed to supporting the survivor and would move forward with a challenge to the acquittal.
Earlier, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court cleared Dileep and three co-accused, ruling that the prosecution had not succeeded in proving criminal conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt. The first six accused, however, were convicted. All ten appeared in court as instructed when the judgment was delivered.
Escorted from the courtroom by a team of lawyers, Dileep waved to his supporters and strongly criticized the investigation, insisting he had been falsely implicated. “The police’s fabricated story collapsed in court,” he claimed, alleging that investigators collaborated with the prime accused to sabotage his career.
He further accused his former wife, a senior police officer, and segments of the media of conspiring against him, while expressing deep gratitude to his legal team led by Raman Pillai.
Political reactions also surfaced, with KPCC president Sunny Joseph calling the verdict “unsatisfactory” and blaming lapses in both the investigation and prosecution for failing to prove conspiracy.
The case stems from the shocking February 17, 2017 incident in which a well-known Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle en route to Kochi — an event that ignited state-wide debate on women’s safety and power dynamics in the film industry.
The survivor has chosen to remain silent for now, while women’s rights organisations have voiced disappointment, noting that the legal struggle is far from over.