Dileep trial: Supreme Court declines to pass directions on State's plea to extend deadline, leaves it to trial court's discretion

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to pass any directions on a plea by Kerala government seeking extension of deadline for completing trial against Malayalam cine actor Dileep in the actress abduction and sexual assault case [P Gopalakrishnan @ Dileep v. State of Kerala]..A Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar instead left it to the discretion of the trial court to take an appropriate decision."This application by the State seeks extension of time to complete the trial. We are not delving into nature of objections. We dispose of this application and we leave it to the discretion of the trial court to take an appropriate view in this matter," the Court said in its order.If the trial judge asks for time we will consider, the Bench orally remarked.The Supreme Court had set a deadline of February 16, 2022 for completing the trial against the actor. The State had approached the Court seeking extension of the same by 6 months. Dileep had also filed an application opposing the State's request. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Dileep, said that the State is conducting media trial against his client. The Court, however, refused to pass any order."Let the trial court do justice," the Bench remarked..The actor is on trial for having plotted and executed a revenge crime against a female Malayalam actor who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a moving van.It was alleged that the victim had a role to play in Dileep’s separation from his former wife. Dileep is alleged to have orchestrated the abduction of the actress, during which nude photographs of her were taken. Dileep has also approached the Kerala High Court with a separate plea seeking to restrain the media from reporting on the trial of the case till the final verdict is pronounced..Pertinently, another case has now been registered against Dileep for conspiring to kill police officers who were investigating a sexual assault case against him.The investigation in that case is ongoing with the actor securing interim protection in that matter from Kerala High Court till January 27.