A Kerala court will today deliver its verdict on a case concerning the rape and abduction of a Malayalam actress in 2017. Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court judge Honey M Varghese is set to deliver the verdict, Bar and Bench reported.
Actor Dileep is accused of having orchestrated the crime. Security has been heightened around the court premises in view of the much-anticipated verdict. Both entrances to the court have been barricaded.
Accused booked under several sections of IPC
The main accused were charged with a range of offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal conspiracy (Section 120B) and abetment of an offence (Section 109), indicating coordinated involvement in the crime. They were further accused of kidnapping or abducting a woman to compel marriage or sexual intercourse (Section 366), along with sexual assault (Section 354) and use of criminal force with the intention to disrobe a woman (Section 354B).
Additional charges included wrongful confinement through the use of criminal force (Section 357) and the grave offence of gang rape (Section 376D). The accused were also charged with causing the disappearance of evidence (Section 201), harbouring an offender (Section 212), and acts committed with common intention (Section 34), collectively reflecting the seriousness and coordinated nature of the alleged criminal acts.
About the incident
An actress known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema was reportedly abducted and assaulted inside her car for nearly two hours, after several men forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017.
The group later fled in a crowded locality. Some of the accused are said to have recorded the incident in an attempt to use the footage to blackmail her.
