The police on Monday told the Kerala High Court that actor Dileep and others were not helping out the investigation in the FIR against them for allegedly threatening officials and probing the sexual assault of an actress in 2017, while the actor asserted that the most recent case was a “manipulation”. Dileep’s lawyers additionally indicated in the high court that they would likely be filing a case looking for a CBI test into the entire matter which as per them has been transformed into a “media trial”.
Senior advocate B Raman Pillai and advocate Philip T Varghese, showing up for the actor, likewise claimed that the new body of evidence against him was “manipulated” by the Crime Branch officials exploring the attack on the actress. The disputes by the two sides were made during the hearing of the anticipatory bail pleas moved by the actor, his brother, brother-in-law, and others in the fresh case lodged against them.
The plea was opposed by Director General of Prosecution T A Shaji and public prosecutor P Narayanan, who represented the police, saying the conduct of the actor and the accused so far in the case does not entitle them to any leniency or discretionary relief from the court.
They guaranteed that the denounced not exclusively didn’t help out the investigation, they also altered the proof as they sent their cell phones to Mumbai pretext of forensic examination to “sabotage the probe”. They also questioned how Dileep and the others can demand that the phones be examined at a facility of their choice.
“What is so special about him that he is dictating terms (of the probe)? They cannot be allowed to take the court and the law for a ride. Let them surrender to the process of the law like any other accused,” they further contended.
The police likewise contended that they have been not able to uncover anything for the situation because of the defensive request Dileep and the others are getting a charge out of since January 12.
They additionally encouraged the court to hand over to them the telephones delivered by the blamed before the Registrar General for the high court according to its request for January 29.
This was gone against by Dileep’s legal counselors who said that the mobiles might stay with the court for now.
They contended that the police were trying to get custody of the actor by whatever means possible and that the “case was a manipulation”. Subsequent to hearing the two sides, Justice Gopinath P recorded the matter on Tuesday when he said he will decide on the cell phones.
The court likewise said that it will hear the anticipatory bail pleas like others. The high court on January 29 had requested that Dileep and others produce before the Registrar General their cell phones on a supplication by the Crime Branch for a situation against him and five others for allegedly threatening officials probing the sexual assault of an actress in 2017.
On January 22, the court had conceded break security to Dileep from capture and had guided him and the others to show up before the investigating officials on January 23, 24, and 25 for cross-examination. The accused were directed to fully cooperate with the investigation.
Before this, the court had shielded the actor and others from any coercive activity on January 12.
On January 9, the Crime Branch enrolled the case on a protest documented by an investigating officer based on a purported audio clip of Dileep, which was telecast by a TV channel, in which the actor was allegedly heard conspiring to attack the official.
The actor and five others were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offense), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people).
The actor casualty, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some of the accused, who had constrained their direction into the vehicle the evening of February 17, 2017, and later got away in a bustling area. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail the actress. There are 10 accused in the case and police have arrested seven. Dileep was arrested subsequently and released on bail.