Kerala HC grants anticipatory bail to Dileep, others in latest case related to sexual assault of act
Kochi(PTI): The Kerala High Court on Monday allowed the anticipatory bail plea of actor Dileep and others in the latest case against them alleging that they conspired to eliminate officers probing the sexual assault of an actress in 2017.
Justice Gopinath P granted the relief to the actor, saying that the apprehensions of the police of non-cooperation and influencing witnesses can be dealt with by imposing conditions and if the same are violated, then a plea can be moved for arresting the accused despite grant of anticipatory bail.
The police, opposing the plea, had claimed in the court that Dileep and the others were not cooperating with the probe in the latest FIR against them, while the actor, refuting the allegations, had contended that the case was a "fabricated one" and a "manipulation".
Director General of Prosecution T A Shaji and additional public prosecutor P Narayanan, representing the police, had told the court during arguments that the nature and gravity of the accusations against them and their conduct so far disentitles them to any relief.
The actor and the other accused, which include his brother and brother-in-law, on the other hand had contended that they answered all the queries put to them by the police during their 33 hours long interrogation spread over three days for 11 hours each and that they had only refused to give a confession that was being construed as non-cooperation.
On January 9, the Crime Branch registered the latest case on a complaint filed 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 offence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people).
The actress-victim, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some persons who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017 and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by those persons to blackmail the actress.
There are 10 accused in the 2017 case and police have arrested seven. Dileep was arrested subsequently and released on bail.
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Prateek Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger son, dies at 38
Lucknow (PTI): Prateek Yadav, the younger son of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, has died at the age of 38 after falling ill with cardiac-lung complications early Wednesday.
Prateek, a fitness enthusiast who chose to stay away from the spotlight notwithstanding the fact that he belonged to a prominent political family, was declared brought dead at the civil hospital here, family and friends said.
Aparna Bisht Yadav, his wife, is a BJP member and vice chairperson of the State Women's Commission. She was out of town and rushed back home Wednesday afternoon.
SP chief and stepbrother Akhilesh Yadav were among those who expressed their shock at the death.
"He was a very good young man who wanted to achieve something through his own hard work. Sadly, he is no longer among us," he said.
Asked about the circumstances surrounding the death, the SP chief said the family would follow all legal procedures.
"Whatever the law says and whatever the family decides, we will abide by that," Akhilesh Yadav said, adding that he had met Prateek about two months ago and had advised him to take care of his health and continue expanding his work.
Prateek died due to "cardiorespiratory collapse caused by massive pulmonary thromboembolism", according to the provisional postmortem report prepared at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) here.
The condition refers to a large blood clot blocking arteries of the lungs, leading to sudden failure of heart and lung functions, sources at KGMU said.
The postmortem report also mentioned six antemortem injuries to his chest, under his right arm, right forearm, right elbow joint, over the elbow and left wrist.
While injury '1' was present over the chest, the injury '2' was present over posteromedial aspect of right arm, injury '3' was over medial aspect of right arm, while injury '4' was below the right elbow. Injury '5' was over the posterior lateral aspect of right elbow while injury '6' was on dorsum of left wrist, the report said, adding that ecchymosis was present underneath in the injuries.
"Injuries 1, 2, and 3 are about five-seven days old. Injuries 4, 5, and 6 are about one day old," the report added.
Prateek had been battling deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism and recent cardiac complications, said a senior doctor who treated him.
"He was my old follow up (patient) for last five-six years for hypertension and DVT. Recently he developed sudden onset of breathlessness and chest discomfort. He was also diagnosed with pulmonary embolism about three weeks back," Ruchita Sharma, associate director, Department of Medicine, Medanta Hospital, told PTI on phone.
Prateek's mother Sadhna Gupta, who died in 2022, was Mulayam Yadav's second wife. He was in his teens when the two got married.
As speculation swirled about the circumstances leading to the sudden death, Civil Hospital Director Dr G C Gupta said, "We ran the necessary SOPs, and after confirmation, we informed senior officials and police."
Asked about reports claiming that Prateek was found unconscious in the kitchen, Gupta said, "Various things are being said, but I can't say anything for sure."
The doctor said a driver from Prateek's residence had come to the hospital around 5.30 am seeking emergency help, following which an Emergency Medical Officer accompanied him back to the residence and took Prateek to hospital.
As news of the death came in, the SP and the BJP cancelled their political programmes in Uttar Pradesh.
SP leader and Prateek's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav described the death as "extremely sad" and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
"The demise of Shri Prateek Yadav Ji is extremely heartbreaking! May God grant peace to the departed soul. Humble tribute!" the SP said in a post on X.
The BJP said district-level protests planned by women workers across the state on Wednesday have been postponed following Prateek Yadav's demise.
"The sudden demise of Shri Prateek Yadav Ji, son of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 'Padma Vibhushan', the late Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji, and husband of Smt. Aparna Yadav Ji, Vice-Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission, is extremely heartbreaking. Humble tribute," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on X.
State Congress chief Ajay Rai also expressed his grief at the "sudden demise" of the Yadav family member.
"I'm really shocked. He was a young man... I extend my condolences to the bereaved family in this hour of grief and stand by them," said Congress UP in-charge Avinash Pande.
Mourners, including supporters of both the SP and the BJP, started gathering outside the family's Vikramaditya Marg residence soon after news of his death spread. Police tightened security and erected barricades in the area.
The chief minister and some state ministers also visited the residence to pay their last respects.
Dhirendra Yadav, national secretary of the Samajwadi Shikshak Sabha, who stood outside the residence, said he had known Prateek for years.
"I still can't believe that someone as fit as him has passed away so suddenly," he said.
The last rites will be performed on Thursday, priest Mahendra Sharma said.
Around 2.20 pm, Shivpal Yadav reached the residence along with other family members, including Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav and relatives from the family's native Saifai village.
The nameplate outside the house bears the names "Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav", "Smt Sadhna Yadav", "Prateek Yadav", "Aparna Yadav" and "Shine and Blush", the names of the couple's daughters.
The large black iron gate with golden motifs remained shut with only close relatives and friends being allowed inside.
According to advocate Vishwanath Chaturvedi, on whose PIL the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI probe into the disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Yadav, the late SP patriarch had publicly acknowledged in court in 2006 that Prateek was his son and Sadhna his wife.
Although Mulayam and Sadhna had been together for years, the statement in court was the first public acknowledgement of their relationship, he said.
On January 19 this year, Prateek openly accused his wife of ruining his family ties in a lengthy Instagram post and said he would seek a divorce from her at the earliest. However, on January 28, he announced reconciliation with his wife.
In a video he posted on Instagram, Prateek said, "On January 19, I had a serious dispute with my wife Aparna, following which I made two posts on social media. However, the matter has now been resolved mutually after discussions, and there is no longer any dispute between us."
He also posted a caption in the video: "Haters, go to hell."
