Kerala court orders return of Dileep’s passport after acquittal in 2017 actress assault case

A Kerala court on Thursday directed that actor Dileep’s passport be returned, days after he was acquitted in the 2017 actress assault case.

The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court allowed Dileep’s plea for the release of his passport, which had been deposited with the court as part of the bail conditions during the trial. His counsel argued that with the acquittal, there was no legal justification for continuing to retain the passport and said the actor needed to travel abroad to promote an upcoming film.

Dileep gets passport back after acquittal, cyber attack case registered

The court observed that Dileep had surrendered his passport following his arrest and that, although he had been permitted to travel overseas several times with temporary relaxations of bail conditions, the passport was always returned to the court afterward. The defence had sought its immediate release on the day the verdict was delivered.

The prosecution opposed the request, pointing out that an appeal against the acquittal could be filed and contending that the passport should not be released at this stage. However, upon reconsideration, the court ruled that since Dileep had been acquitted, the bail bonds stood discharged, leaving no obstacle to returning the passport.

Meanwhile, the case saw a fresh development as the survivor approached the police alleging a sustained cyber campaign against her following the verdict. She has filed a complaint over abusive and defamatory content circulating on social media platforms.

In her complaint, she named Martin, the second accused in the case who was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, alleging that he uploaded an objectionable video targeting her. According to the complaint, the video claims the case was fabricated and alleges a conspiracy involving the survivor and others to implicate Dileep.

The survivor submitted 16 links identifying social media accounts that allegedly shared or amplified the video and other abusive material. Based on the complaint, the Ernakulam police have registered a case under non-bailable sections of law.

She had earlier met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, informing him of what she described as an intense and coordinated online attack by Dileep’s supporters after the verdict. Sources said the Chief Minister directed the police to take prompt and stringent action.

Police officials said investigations are ongoing to identify all those involved in circulating the offensive content. 

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