KOCHI: Declaring that the trial court’s verdict in the actor abduction and assault case represents not just a setback but a failure to treat a grave crime with the seriousness it warranted, the prosecution and the survivor’s counsel said the judgment amounted to a stark denial of justice.
Minutes after the court sentenced all six accused, including the prime accused, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, special public prosecutor V Ajakumar described the ruling as “deeply disappointing” and one that “sends a wrong message to society”.
He noted that the punishment awarded for gang rape was only the statutory minimum. “We will urge the government to file an appeal. The judgment delivered today is not a matter of the court’s generosity. This is our right,” Ajakumar said.
He added that the prosecution had endured over three and a half years of intense courtroom battle, hoping for a judgment that reflected the brutality of the crime. “All those hardships will be placed before the appropriate authorities.
We remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail,” he said, adding that a detailed study of the full judgment was necessary before further comments. The survivor’s counsel, T B Mini, echoed the disappointment, stating that the survivor “has not received justice in any form”.
She criticised the court for considering the age, circumstances, and family backgrounds of the accused while failing to account for the survivor’s trauma.
Court invokes legal maxim
The court declined to address the prosecution’s allegations that actor Dileep attempted to influence the judges who handled the case at various stages, particularly the trial court judge.
Dileep’s counsel argued that the prosecution and the investigating team made every effort to malign the judicial system, especially targeting the trial judge personally.
The judge stated that all such matters were left unattended, invoking the legal maxim “Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum” (Let justice be done though the heavens fall).