The Kerala High Court on Tuesday sought the response of actor Dileep and nine others on an appeal filed by the state government challenging the trial court’s judgment in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case.
The High Court admitted the appeal, in which the state has challenged the acquittal of Dileep and three others in the case and also sought enhancement of the punishment awarded to the six people sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting the actress.
A bench of justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian issued notice to the six persons sentenced in the case and the four who were acquitted by the trial court, a government lawyer associated with the case said.
Apart from Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, the trial court had also acquitted three others — Charley Thomas (A7), Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil (A9) and Sarath (A15).
The trial court had convicted the first six accused in the case — Sunil N S also known as Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh V P, Salim H, and Pradeep.