KOCHI : THE High Court has rejected the plea of the Crime Branch seeking cancellation of the bail granted to actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the 2017 actor abduction case. Justice Sophy Thomas said, “Let the trial be completed and the case be disposed of at the earliest as the crime happened in 2017.”
While granting bail to the actor in 2017, the HC imposed a condition that “‘the petitioner shall not directly, indirectly or through any agent try to influence, intimidate, threaten or coerce the victim or any of the prosecution witnesses, by any means, including words expressed or disseminated through any media including, print, electronic or visual media.” The prosecution alleged that Dileep influenced prosecution witnesses, destroyed evidence and even entered into a conspiracy with his friends and relatives to do away with the cops who were in the Special Investigation Team.
The director general of prosecutions stated that the trial in the case is nearing completion and what remains is the cross-examination of the investigating officer. In such circumstances, there was no need to go into the merits of the allegations. If Dileep’s bail is cancelled at this stage, it may lead to further litigations and complications, which may frustrate the trial which is about to be completed, and may drag the proceedings indefinitely. The DGP also sought to clarify the observation of the trial court while dismissing the Crime Branch’s plea for cancelling the bail of Dileep, which was only for the disposal of the case.