Kannur, Dec. 9 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the state government will continue to stand by the survivor in the 2017 Malayalam actor abduction and assault case, in which a local court a day earlier acquitted actor Dileep.
Addressing a press conference in Kannur, Vijayan also reacted to what he termed the “strange” remarks made earlier in the day by Congress MP and United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor Adoor Prakash, who said he believed actor Dileep had “got justice.”
“The prosecution handled the case very well. At every stage of the case, society at large and the legal community expressed only positive opinions. The government’s handling of the matter has sent a message that it will take a firm stand on such issues,” Vijayan said. He added that the judgment would be studied in detail, and after a legal analysis, the government would take necessary steps, including an appeal. He reiterated that the Kerala government has stood with the survivor and will continue to do so.
The chief minister said Prakash’s remarks reflected the attitude of the Congress-led UDF rather than public sentiment.
Vijayan said Prakash’s statement “is as per UDF politics.” “Society is always with the survivor, and the government has the same approach. The UDF convenor has a strange stand on the issue. It is against the prevailing sentiments in our society,” he said.
Earlier, Prakash had said the Kerala government’s decision to appeal the verdict in the 2017 actress abduction and assault case was because “it had no other job.”
Speaking to ANI outside a polling station in Adoor in Pathanamthitta district, where he cast his vote in the first phase of local body elections, Prakash said, “We are always with the survivor. My opinion is that she should get justice. At the same time, it is difficult to reject the stand of the court.”
“Even while saying that we are all with the survivor, we must also recognize that everyone deserves justice and that Dileep has got justice. He is not only an artist for me. I have a personal relationship with him. He has got justice. The court has delivered justice for him,” he said.
Prakash also said the allegations Dileep has made against police officials should be investigated.
“The government will always go for an appeal because the government has no other job. It is a government that looks for opportunities to harm everyone; it will go to any extent to harass someone,” he added.
Later, the Congress MP clarified that his full statement was not reported and that selective excerpts had caused “misunderstanding.”
Adoor Prakash said, “Not everything I said was reported. Only selective parts were highlighted, and that is what led to this misunderstanding. What I clearly stated was that the survivor has not yet received justice. At the same time, when a judgment is delivered by a court of law, rejecting the court itself is difficult for me to endorse.”
He said the survivor’s fight for justice must continue and that it is up to the government to decide whether to file an appeal. “There is no need to twist my words to create a different narrative,” he added.
Prakash emphasized that he has stood with the survivor from the beginning. “What I said was accurate, conscious, and deliberate. Whether an appeal should be filed or not is not for Adoor Prakash or the UDF to decide. If the government wants to go ahead, let them,” he said.
He added that certain remarks may stem from personal relationships but should not be misinterpreted. “What I said beyond that was not reported at all,” he noted.
Earlier, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph said the state government and the prosecution had failed to establish the chargesheet on conspiracy, noting that the conspiracy aspect could not be proved in court.
Responding to Prakash’s remarks, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, “This leader and the party he represents have a policy against women, and it is not acceptable. The government stands with the survivor girl continuously.”
The Ernakulam Sessions Court on Monday acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the 2017 case. The case involved an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films and was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017.
Dileep, accused of conspiring and hiring a gang to carry out the crime, was found not guilty of orchestrating the assault.
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