Overview
- Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese delivered the verdict after a protracted trial that examined 261 witnesses and hundreds of documents.
- Accused 1–6, including prime accused Sunil N.S. alias Pulsar Suni, were found guilty of abduction, sexual assault and gang rape of a leading actress inside a moving car on February 17, 2017.
- Dileep and three other accused were acquitted as the court held the prosecution failed to establish his alleged role in a conspiracy.
- The proceedings featured hostile testimony by several witnesses, resignations of special prosecutors and a memory‑card access controversy that prompted the Kerala High Court’s 2023 guidelines on handling explicit evidence.
- The case reshaped discourse in Kerala’s film industry, spurring the Women in Cinema Collective and policy discussions, and parties are expected to review the judgment and consider appeals.