[Actress assault case]: Supreme Court declines bail to prime accused Pulsar Suni

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to grant bail to Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the 2017 Kerala actress assault case, in which popular Malayalam cine actor Dileep is also an accused [Sunil NS vs State of Kerala]..A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and AS Oka observed that, having noted the statement of the survivor, it saw no reason to interfere with the Kerala High Court order refusing bail."However, if the trial is not concluded within the reasonable time, the petitioner is at liberty to renew his application for grant of bail pending trial before the High Court," the top court made it clear. .The Supreme Court had in April issued notice to State of Kerala on the bail plea by Suni.A Bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi had initially also ordered interim protection from arrest to Suni. However, the Bench was informed that Suni was already in jail and that it was a regular bail plea.Suni had moved the Court challenging a March 29 order of the Kerala High Court denying him bail. The plea filed by Suni said that the examination of almost all witnesses was complete and the investigating agency has started further investigation."Invariably there will be much more witnesses to be examined after further investigation and there is no likelihood of the case coming to a conclusion in the near future," the petition stated.It was further submitted that the conduct of Suni during the trial has been impeccable and he has never caused any obstruction or given any chance to the court or the prosecutor to make any adverse comments against him.The plea also pointed out that the prime accused in the case are already out in bail.In 2017, six persons, including Suni were arrested and arrayed as accused after a prominent female actor was abducted, driven around in a car, photographed and sexually assaulted, allegedly at actor Dileep’s behest.Sunil NS, also known by his moniker Pulsar Suni, is the first accused in the infamous case which is alleged to have been the result of a conspiracy that was hatched between the accused.Suni had allegedly revealed to investigators that prominent figures from the Malayalam Film Industry, including Dileep, were not only involved in the crime, but were also the masterminds behind it. The trial in the case is currently underway at the at the Additional Sessions (CBI special No III) Court at Ernakulam..Advocates K Parameshwar, Sriram P, Satheesh Mohanan, MS Vishnu Shankar, Sarath Janardanan, and Sreenath S represented the apellant-accused. Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar with advocates Nishe Rajen Shonker, Anu K Joy, Alim Anvar, and Abraham C Mathews represented the respondent. .[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.