In a major development in the Kerala actress assault case that shocked the state, the court has acquitted actor Dileep, the eighth accused. The court stated that Dileep was acquitted due to lack of evidence. However, the first to sixth accused in the case were found guilty. Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese delivered the verdict, confirming that all the charges framed in the case would stand.

Charlie Thomas, Sunil Kumar, and Dileep’s friend Sarath were also acquitted. The court will pronounce the sentence for the convicted accused on Friday.

The verdict comes after 7 years and 7 months of trial in the case involving the abduction and sexual assault of a popular Malayalam actress and the recording of obscene visuals. Pulsar Suni (Sunil Kumar) is the first accused, while actor Dileep was listed as the eighth accused. Other accused include Martin Antony, Manikandan, Vijesh, Saleem, Pradeep, Charlie Thomas, Sunil Kumar, and Sarath.

The incident took place on February 17, 2017, during the actress’s journey from Thrissur to Kochi, when she was abducted and assaulted inside a moving vehicle. The accused also recorded objectionable videos of the attack. Police investigations led to the arrest of Pulsar Suni and others. Dileep was later arrested after investigators claimed to have evidence suggesting the crime was carried out at his behest.

Charges against the accused included rape, conspiracy, and more than ten other sections. The trial examined over 260 witnesses and more than 1,600 documents before the court delivered its judgment.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch has set up a new investigation team to trace Palakkad MLA Rahul Mankoottil, who has been on the run after being named an accused in a sexual assault case. Authorities suspect that information from the initial team may have been leaked, prompting the formation of a new unit.
The survivor’s statement in the second case will now be recorded afresh. Although the court has not stayed Rahul’s arrest in the second complaint—filed by a 23-year-old woman—a previous stay in another case had forced investigators to withdraw from Karnataka. Rahul has been missing for ten days, ever since the first complainant submitted a petition to the Chief Minister’s office on November 27.

To ease the heavy Christmas holiday rush, the Railways has announced weekly special services from Mumbai to Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Mangaluru Junction train (01185) will operate every Tuesday, departing from Mumbai at 4 p.m. and reaching Mangaluru the following morning. The return service will leave Mangaluru at 1 p.m. and arrive in Mumbai early Thursday morning.

Similarly, a special train from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram will run every Thursday from December 18, leaving LTT at 4 p.m. and reaching Thiruvananthapuram North at 11.30 p.m. the next day. These services will continue until January 8 to accommodate the increased festive-season travel demand.

To ease travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays, KSRTC has launched bookings for special additional services. With train tickets sold out and private bus fares soaring, the special services aim to help passengers returning home.

From December 19, 2025 to January 5, 2026, KSRTC will operate additional services between major Kerala cities and Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Chennai, in addition to existing schedules

Tickets can be booked online via:
www.onlineksrtcswift.com
or the mobile app ente ksrtc neo oprs.