Kerala actress assault: Accused Pulsar Suni moves Supreme Court for bail (again)

Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the 2017 Kerala actress assault case in which Malayalam cine actor Dileep is also an accused, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking bail..The Kerala High Court had rejected his bail plea on March 6 prompting him to move the apex court by way of the present appeal. This is the second round of bail litigation Suni is initiating since his detention as an undertrial over 6 years ago.In his plea filed through advocate Sriram Parakkat, Suni highlighted that his pre-trial detention period has exceeded 6 years and emphasised that the process should not become a punishment. "The trial is taking various twists and turns due to incidents for which the petitioner has no role. Purely because accused no 5 [Dileep] is a celebrity, the trial has prolonged in many ways," Suni said in his plea. .In the infamous case of 2017, a prominent female actor was abducted, driven around in a car, photographed and sexually assaulted, allegedly at actor Dileep’s behest.The trial in the case is currently underway at the Principal Sessions Court at Ernakulam..Suni is the first accused in the case. He 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.During the recent hearing, the High Court had remarked that despite the time behind bars before completion of trial, the accused cannot be let off given the gravity of the offence and the 'wrong message' it would sent to society.Suni had first moved the Kerala High Court for bail in March 2022 which was rejected. He had then moved the Supreme Court, which in July 2022 declined to grant him bail.However, the top court had said that if the trial is not concluded within a reasonable time, Suni may renew his bail application before the High Court. Subsequently, he moved the High Court again which rejected his bail plea on March 6. .In his appeal against the same, Suni admitted that the offence is serious, but pointed out that several witnesses are yet to be examined.Suni highlighted the case of socialite Indrani Mukherjee, accused of murdering her step-daughter, who was granted bail by the top court in May 2022 after spending 6 years in jail as an undertrial.There is no likelihood of the case coming to a conclusion in the near future, Suni submitted. It was also contended that his conduct during the trial has been impeccable, and no hindrance has been caused. Suni further submitted that the nature of the defence evidence is such that he will be able to adduce the same only on being released on bail"Since further investigation has been commenced in the case the trial has become an uncertainty ... considering the number of accused persons, the stage of defence evidence may take another few months ... if the applicant is kept in prison, he may not be able to adduce defence evidence in support of his defence," the petition said.