Cong leader Satheesan raises concerns over delay in trial of actress assault case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, expressed concern on Wednesday over the delayed trial in the actress assault case, saying that it will erode public trust in the judiciary.

Satheesan requested the Kerala High Court to review the delayed trial proceedings in the 2017 Kerala actress assault case, after the Supreme Court granted bail to main accused Sunil N S.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave bail to Sunil in the case in which actor Dileep is also an accused.

The Congress leader said the actress' assault case has been dragging on for seven and a half years, resulting in the accused being granted bail.

"This delay undermines the public's trust in the judiciary, as justice delayed is equivalent to justice denied," Satheesan told reporters here.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some people 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 people to blackmail the actress.

The police had arrested several persons in connection with the case. Dileep was also arrested in the case and was later released on bail.

Meanwhile, Satheesan commented on the recent revelations about the alleged scandal in the Malayalam film industry, stemming from the Justice K Hema Committee Report on sexual abuse of female actors.

He said that the Left government was unwilling to take a truthful stand on the issue.

The Congress leader said the opposition had demanded that only female officials investigate allegations from the Hema Committee report, but the government formed a mixed-gender team instead.

Referring to the Kerala High Court's directive that an investigation should be conducted into the findings of the Hema Committee report, Satheesan urged the government to bring the offenders before the law without revealing the victims' privacy.

"It's unfortunate that the government is unwilling to take a truthful stand. The government is not with the victims, but with the perpetrators. The government seems to be focusing on shielding the culprits. With each passing day, it's becoming increasingly clear that this government is inherently anti-women," he alleged.

The Kerala government constituted the Justice K Hema Committee to investigate instances of harassment and exploitation within the industry, following the 2017 actress assault case.

The committee's report revealed shocking instances of sexual harassment and exploitation against women in the industry.