Kerala actor rape case: HC refuses relief to 2 accused
What's the story
The Kerala High Court has refused to suspend the sentences of two accused in the 2017 actor assault case. The decision was taken due to the "seriousness of the crime" and its impact on society. A bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar dismissed separate pleas by Saleem H and Pradeep, who are accused number five and six respectively in this case, per PTI.
Evidence assessment
Prima facie, accused aided in commission of crime: HC
The court noted that there was enough evidence to prove a conspiracy among the six accused, including Saleem and Pradeep.
"Prima facie, it appears that the applicants had assisted and aided in the commission of the crime, and shared the common intention with all the conspirators," said the bench.
The two accused had sought suspension of their 20-year jail sentence pending appeals against their conviction and punishment.
Legal proceedings
No major flaw or illegality found in judgment
The High Court observed that the accused failed to highlight any major flaw or illegality in the Sessions Judge's judgment convicting and sentencing them.
"At this interlocutory stage, we are unable to conclude that the findings recorded by the Sessions Judge are so unreasonable or perverse as to justify suspension of the execution of the sentence," it said.
On July 9, a similar plea by prime accused Sunil NS (Pulsar Suni) was also denied by the court.
Case details
Case pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of actor
The case pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of a multi-lingual actor in a moving vehicle while she was traveling from Thrissur to Kochi on February 17, 2017.
The sessions court had sentenced six people, including Suni, Saleem, and Pradeep, to 20 years' imprisonment for gang rape on December 12 last year.
Actor Dileep and three others were acquitted in the case.