Kerala actor rape case: Verdict was on expected lines, but it is not the end of road, say activists

The news of actor Dileep being acquitted of all the criminal charges levelled against him in the actor rape case by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday has brought a sense of disappointment among activists and a section of the film community.

While the verdict was largely on expected lines, as some activists noted, there was a ray of hope that justice would be served, the community of women who stood with the survivor said.

Writer and academic J. Devika described Dileep’s acquittal as a ‘Pyrrhic victory’. “Dileep’s victory may appear like one, but it is not. The court has not declared that he is innocent. There was insufficient evidence. Conspiracy is difficult to prove without direct evidence linking to it,” said Ms. Devika, maintaining that the verdict was expected.

“We should now keep up the critical discourse. The credit for sustaining it this far is due to the Women in Cinema Collective,” she added.

Dubbing artiste Bhagyalakshmi said that the verdict was entirely in line with what she had predicted four years ago, and that she was not surprised. “The fact that over 21 witnesses in the case turned hostile is a proof of the clout wielded by Dileep. He must have used his immense financial resources to influence the witnesses in his favour. Yet, we held on to at least a one per cent hope in the judiciary,” she said.

But she added that this was not the end. “We will move forward. There are other courts too,” she said. Noting that the court had convicted ‘Pulsar’ Suni and others, she said the question of who gave the quotation to Mr. Suni needed to be answered. “It was not the survivor who brought up the name of Dileep, but it was Suni. And if Dileep is not guilty, then who gave the quotation? That question still remains,” she said.

Actor Maala Parvathy said that she felt blank when she heard the verdict. “We had all expected this outcome because proving a conspiracy is difficult. We need to closely examine this. Our judiciary might lack provisions to prove a conspiracy case. We need to move forward with the appeal,” she said.