2017 actress assault case: Kerala HC notice to actor Dileep, others on govt appeal
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court on Tuesday sought the response of actor Dileep and nine others on an appeal filed by the state government challenging the trial court's judgment in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case.
The High Court admitted the appeal, in which the state has challenged the acquittal of Dileep and three others in the case and also sought enhancement of the punishment awarded to the six people sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting the actress.
A bench of justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian issued notice to the six persons sentenced in the case and the four who were acquitted by the trial court, a government lawyer associated with the case said.
ALSO READ: Lok Sabha takes up resolution to remove Speaker Om Birla
Apart from Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, the trial court had also acquitted three others -- Charley Thomas (A7), Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil (A9) and Sarath (A15).
The trial court had convicted the first six accused in the case -- Sunil N S also known as Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh V P, Salim H, and Pradeep.
The appeal has claimed that the acquittal of Dileep and the others was "wholly illegal and unmerited and the same gives a wrong message to the society".
It has urged the High Court to set aside the acquittal of Dileep and the others and to hold them guilty of the offences for which the first six accused were convicted and sentenced to 20 years.
It claimed that while the trial court rightly found the first six accused in the case as guilty of the various offences charged against them, "it has miserably failed to impose adequate sentence of imprisonment and fine upon them.
The state has urged the High Court to enhance the sentence of imprisonment and fine imposed on the first six accused, in respect of the offences for which they have been found guilty, as deemed fit and proper "by taking into consideration the nature and seriousness of the crime committed by them and the trauma and sufferings undergone by the victim and the fear it created in the society".
According to the prosecution, the eighth accused (Dileep) conspired with the first accused (Sunil) and instructed him to commit sexual assault on PW1 (victim) and to capture her nude visuals, as he was harbouring enmity and vengeance against her.
There were initially 15 accused in the case of whom three were granted pardon and examined as witnesses and two others were discharged by the Kerala High Court with the remaining 10 facing trial in the case.
The 2017 assault on a multi-lingual actress, in which miscreants forced their way into her moving car on February 17 and held her captive for two hours, profoundly shook the conscience of Kerala society.
Prime accused Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.
Actor Dileep, who was accused of conspiring in the crime, was arrested during the investigation.
However, after a near six-year trial, the court found him not guilty.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Siddaramaiah seeks Centre's urgent intervention over commercial LPG cylinder shortage
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday sought the Centre's urgent intervention to ensure supply of adequate commercial LPG cyclinders to hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.
He said hotels, restaurants and catering establishments in the city would be forced to suspend operations if supplies are not restored, affecting a large number of students and working professionals who depend on them for regular meals.
In his letter to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, he also requested him to issue appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints that would help ease the situation.
Referring to the March 9 order issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas prioritising LPG supply for domestic consumers, Siddaramaiah said while the intention behind the order to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply to households across the country is well understood and appreciated, its implementation appears to have led to an unintended shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru.
ALSO READ: Govt rejigs gas allocation to ensure uninterrupted cooking gas, CNG supply
He cited that several hotels and restaurant associations in the city have reported that they are unable to procure commercial LPG cylinders, and many establishments are expressing concern that they may have to temporarily shut operations if supplies are not restored soon.
Bengaluru has a large ecosystem of small restaurants, mess facilities, and catering units that serve lakhs of people every day.
According to him, as per the discussions held with the oil marketing companies, the state's commercial LPG demand has traditionally been supported by supplies from the three OMCs-IOCL (around 500-550 MT per day), HPCL (around 300 MT per day) and BPCL (around 230 MT per day) and the sudden disruption of this supply is now severely affecting hotels, catering establishments and other commercial users in Bengaluru.
Any disruption to their functioning will have a direct impact on daily life in the city, he said.
"This issue also affects a large number of students and working professionals who live away from their homes and depend on hotels and mess facilities for regular meals. In addition, Choultries (wedding halls), hostels, and event venues that rely on commercial LPG for food preparation are also facing uncertainty, particularly with scheduled social and community events," the chief minister said in the letter.
Given the scale of dependence on commercial LPG in a metropolitan city like Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah sought the union minister's intervention to ensure that adequate commercial LPG supply is made available to hotels, restaurants, choultries, community halls and any other pure commercial establishments.
"Appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints would help ease the situation. A timely resolution will help ensure that businesses continue to operate smoothly while also avoiding inconvenience to thousands of people who rely on these services on a daily basis," he added.
