The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, granted bail to Martin Antony, the second accused in the 2017 female actor abduction and sexual assault case, in which actor Dileep is charged as the chief conspirator.
On February 17, 2017, a female actor, who predominantly works in Malayalam and Kannada cinema, was abducted and sexually assaulted by a gang of men in a moving car en route to Kochi from Thrissur. Martin was the one who drove the car while the assault took place.
His bail was granted by a bench consisting of Justices Ajay Rastogi and AS Oka. Martin has been in jail for five years and the bench noted that it is not clear when the trial in the 2017 case will be over.
Senior advocate Ranjith Kumar and standing counsel Nishe Rajan Shankar, representing the prosecution, had opposed Martin’s bail plea citing that the crime would not have taken place if he had not been involved. The prosecution also highlighted the possibility of first accused Pulsar Suni and others seeking bail if Martin’s plea was granted.
It is notable that some of the other accused in the case, including Dileep, have previously been granted bail.
On January 9, the Kerala Crime Branch filed a new FIR against Dileep and his associates for plotting to kill the officers who investigated the assault case. The new case was registered following the release of audio clips implicating the accused by filmmaker Balachandra Kumar.
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In February, Dileep was granted anticipatory bail in this new FIR, after which he moved the High Court seeking to quash the new case. A probe is currently underway in this matter, and the High Court recently dismissed the actor’s plea seeking to suspend further investigation. The probe team has been directed to conclude the investigation by April 15.
On Wednesday, the two-judge bench dismissed the Kerala government counsels’ request to not grant Martin bail until the probe into the alleged conspiracy to kill the investigating cops, was concluded. The court also refused to impose the stringent bail conditions that were demanded by the prosecution.
For a full timeline of the female actor abduction and assault case, see here.