Actor Kavya Madhavan, wife of actor Dileep, one of the main accused in the case of the abduction and sexual assault of a female Malayalam actor, appeared before the Ernakulam Additional Special Sessions Court on Tuesday as a witness and was questioned, The Hindu reported.
Madhavan’s examination was originally scheduled to be held in March but was later postponed. Till now, the court has examined over 180 witnesses in connection with the case.
A female Mayalam actor was abducted in February 17, 2017 while she was travelling from Kochi to Thrissur in Kerala. She was sexually assaulted and then dropped off. Soon after the incident, the first accused in the abduction case, Pulsar Suni, the driver of the vehicle she was assaulted in, was arrested. In June 2017, Pulsar Suni said that actor Dileep had conspired in the assault.
Further Extension
The Supreme Court in March had given an extension of six months to complete the trial after the Ernakulam Special Sessions Court had approached the apex court. In July 2021, the special court sought more time for completing the trial due to delay caused by the lockdown post the second wave of Covid-19. Over 100 witnesses were yet to be heard at the time, The New Indian Express reported.
The Case so Far
On July 20, 2017, Dileep was arrested as the eighth accused in the case. He was granted bail in October 2017. The prosecution counsel has alleged that the trial proceedings were constantly being delayed ever since he was released.
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In October 2020, both the survivor and the prosecution moved the Kerala High Court to transfer the trial from Ernakulam claiming bias on the part of the judge. However, the high court dismissed the pleas after observing that there was no sustainable grounds to transfer the case, in November 2020. The Supreme Court also rejected the Kerala government’s plea seeking a transfer and upheld the decision of the Kerala High Court, in December 2020. Special prosecutor A Sureshan resigned on November 24, 2020 and was later replaced by VN Anilkumar.
The trial resumed in January this year after a hiatus of three months.