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Kerala High Court adjourns actor Dileep’s anticipatory bail plea in latest case
The Kerala High Court has adjourned the hearing of actor Dileep’s anticipatory bail plea in the latest case for allegedly conspiring to kill police officers. The actor is also facing trial as the alleged mastermind of the abduction and sexual assault of a female actress in a moving car in 2017.
The adjournment has been granted till February 2 as the Director General of Prosecution T.A Shaji told the court that examination of digital evidence was pending. He said the report will be submitted today in a sealed cover. However, senior advocate B.Raman Pillai, representing Dileep, argued that the interim order may continue till the next hearing date. Last Saturday, in the special physical sitting of the case, the court had directed the prosecution to refrain from arresting the actor till the next hearing date (which was today).
Dileep and other accused persons had been directed to appear before the police for interrogation at Crime Branch on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of January from 9am till 8pm. They were given strict instructions to fully cooperate with the investigations. The accused were also informed that any violation of the conditions in the interim order would lead to severe consequences.
The Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch had opposed the grant of bail. He highlighted that this was perhaps the first time in history of that State that a rape quotation was given to a criminal gang, and where a person accused of a serious offence hatched a criminal conspiracy to murder the investigating officers. Dileep has made several allegations against director Balachandra Kumar. He has also accused him of extortion.
The director had released audio recordings, earlier this month, of people including Dileep trying to sabotage the case and obstruct the trial. He said Dileep and his men tried to endanger the lives of the officials. As such, the actor and five men were booked under Sections 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offence), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B ( criminal conspiracy), as well as Section 34 (common intention) of IPC.
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The Crime Branch had issued notice under section 91 to Dileep directing him to produce mobile phones used by him. The actor said none of the phones directed to be produced are phones used by him in 2016 or 2017, in which period the allegations of commission of offence are alleged. The phones had been seized and produced before the Sessions Court and its contents, retrieved and extracted for forensic examination.
Fearing arrest, Dileep and his brother P.Sivakumar and his brother-in-law T.N. Suraj had approached the court for anticipatory bail. They claimed innocence and had been falsely implicated in the said offences.
