Dileep case: 30 working days needed to complete examination of remaining witnesses, Kerala tells Supreme Court

The State of Kerala told the Supreme Court on Friday that it needed thirty working days to complete examination of the remaining witnesses in the trial against Malayalam actor Dileep in connection with the 2017 actress assault and abduction case in which he is an accused [P Gopalakrishnan @ Dileep v. State of Kerala]..Considering the State's request, a Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and PV Sanjay Kumar agreed to adjourn the hearing to March. "We direct the trial court to take steps to examine those witnesses as early as possible. List for further orders on March 24.".Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Dileep, argued against the adjournment, stating that the issue had many ramifications. "Every time the deadline comes close, they file an application for additional witnesses," he contended. However, the Bench refused to delve deeper into the prayer for extension of time. .In its order, the Court recorded that counsel for the parties assured cooperation during the trial. It also asked the trial court to submit a report on the progress made in the case.Along with Rohatgi, Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave appeared for Dileep, while Senior Advocate R Basant represented the survivor. Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar appeared for the State of Kerala..During the previous hearing on Monday, the Court had wondered if there was a need to supplement witness accounts in the trial.The Bench was considering a miscellaneous application moved by Dileep alleging that the ongoing trial at the Principal Sessions Court, Ernakulam is being protracted at the behest of the prosecutrix to evade a verdict.Further, rather than the case proceeding expeditiously, he has been subject to a media trial, it was submitted..In September last year, the Supreme Court had extended the deadline for conclusion of the trial in the sexual assault case to January 31 this year. The Court in January refused to pass any directions on a plea by the Kerala government seeking extension of the deadline for completing the trial.The Bench had instead left it to the discretion of the trial court to take an appropriate decision. It had also set a deadline of February 16, 2022 for completing the trial against the actor.The trial is still going on till date. .Dileep and his associates are being tried for conspiring to set the wheels of a revenge crime in motion against a female actor in the Malayalam film industry, by having her abducted, sexually assaulted, and photographed.In July 2017, Dileep was arrested and charged under various offences under the IPC, including Sections 366 (kidnapping), 120B (criminal conspiracy) , and 376D (gangrape). He was subsequently released on bail..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.Another case was registered against the actor in December 2022 for conspiring to kill police officers who were investigating the case. While the Kerala High Court had declined to quash the FIR in the matter, it had granted the actor anticipatory bail.The Kerala High Court is currently seized of a plea moved by the survivor actress alleging foul play in the probe and trial as well as another plea seeking to restrain the media from reporting on the trial of the case till the final verdict is pronounced..[Read our live-coverage of the hearing below].[Read order]