Judge Honey M. Varghese’s finding—that the prosecution failed to prove any such conspiracy involving actor Dileep has reopened the debate: If the conspiracy wasn’t proven in court, how did it take root in the first place?
Published Dec 08, 2025 | 4:28 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 08, 2025 | 4:28 PM
Manju Warrier speaking at the solidarity meet, in which she said a conspiracy was behind the incident.
Synopsis: There had been a conspiracy behind the assault of a South Indian woman actor in a moving car in Ernakulam in 2017. However, there is no evidence for such a criminal conspiracy, which let actor Dileep off the hook. Once acquitted, he accused his former wife, Manju Warrier, of launching the conspiracy theory. On his accusation list were police officers and journalists. The case is not going to end soon.
The February 2017 assault on a woman actor in a moving car is considered to be the first ‘quotation rape’ — contracting a criminal to commit the crime.
Eight long years later, the Principal Sessions Court in Ernakulam delivered its verdict on the sensational case on Monday, 8 December. While holding six people guilty, the court acquitted four others, including actor Dileep.
The verdict refuelled one unanswered question that flew across Kerala with renewed intensity. Was there a conspiracy at all?
Malayalam actor Dileep. Credit: x.com/Dileep_Online
For years, the case has divided Kerala between those convinced it was the chilling execution of a larger plot, and others who insisted the conspiracy narrative was a weapon—wielded to tarnish reputations and settle scores.
Minutes after the judgement was pronounced, the familiar fault lines re-emerged: One side insisting the attack on the actress was the outcome of a meticulously planned vendetta, the other dismissing the conspiracy angle as a convenient fiction crafted to target a celebrity.
Judge Honey M. Varghese’s finding—that the prosecution failed to prove any such conspiracy involving actor Dileep has reopened the debate: If the conspiracy wasn’t proven in court, how did it take root in the first place?
On the day the shocking assault took place — 17 February 2017 — whispers of a conspiracy began circulating within the Malayalam film industry, which eventually spilt out and got amplified by the media.
These murmurs were further fuelled by long-standing gossip: Dileep harboured a grudge against the survivor because he believed she had played a role in exposing to his then wife, Manju Warrier, his relationship with actor Kavya Madhavan.
The case took a decisive turn two days later.
On 19 February 2017, members of the Malayalam film fraternity gathered in Kochi for a solidarity meeting to condemn the assault and express support for the survivor.
Warrier then made a statement that dramatically shifted the public discourse.
“I met her yesterday after I came to know about the incident. I am proud of her as she is fighting back despite going through such an ordeal. I pray to god that it doesn’t happen to any other girl,” she said.
She added a line that instantly escalated the narrative:
“Many a time, car drivers have taken us home safely during late hours of the night. But this is a case of criminal conspiracy,” she added in her calm but firm voice.
Among the audience were Dileep and other artistes.
Warrier’s remark triggered a storm — and in the public imagination, the conspiracy angle solidified.
Dileep, however, struck a different note at the event. “There is immense fear. What is most tragic and upsetting is that this happened not just in cinema but in our own land,” he said.
“The police are investigating sincerely… Let us take this as something that happened in the house of an ordinary citizen,” he told the gathering.
A few days later, Dileep found himself at the centre of the allegations he had commented on.
According to the prosecution, Dileep had orchestrated and funded the crime as an act of personal revenge — allegedly believing that the survivor had informed Warrier about his relationship with Madhavan. This accusation shaped the trajectory of the case for years.
Judge Varghese, however, on Monday, concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the conspiracy charge.
The court found that the evidence did not establish any concrete link between Dileep and the alleged plot to abduct and assault the survivor.
Emerging from the courtroom, Dileep underscored exactly this point. He alleged that the “entire narrative” portraying him as the mastermind was fabricated.
“It all started when Manju [Warrier] alleged a criminal conspiracy. Following that, a senior woman police officer, along with some criminal police officers, created this narrative. For that, they roped in the main accused and the other accused,” he said.
He accused the investigators of constructing a “false storyline” — one he claimed was bolstered by sections of the media.
“The police then created a false narrative. They also roped in some media and journalists to campaign against me. Today, that fake narrative has been exposed in court,” he said, adding that years of personal and professional trauma “could not be undone”.
Dileep asserted that the “real conspiracy” was not the one alleged by investigators, but the one against him, intended to “frame charges, malign, and destroy his career and goodwill”.
Another person who consistently maintained that the crime was rooted in a larger conspiracy was late Congress MLA P T Thomas — a key early responder in the case, who later even alleged sabotage and a threat to his life.
Uma Thomas and P.T Thomas. (File photo)
The day the actor was subjected to abuse, according to the FIR, she was abandoned at Padamugal near Kakkanad, Ernakulam.
Traumatised, she sought refuge at the home of actor and filmmaker Lal, who lived nearby and was directing the movie she had been working on.
She collapsed into his arms in tears as he and his wife tried to console her. Unable to process the brutality, she remained there overnight.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, Lal alerted late MLA Thomas and producer Anto Joseph.
The two immediately stepped in, ensuring the survivor’s safety and urging her to file a formal complaint. Police reached the spot soon after, and the first FIR was promptly registered under IPC Sections 366 (kidnapping) and 354 (outraging modesty).
Thomas contacted Ernakulam Range IG P Vijayan directly, bypassing procedural delays. Within hours, Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner Baby P arrived and initiated action.
Speaking to the media at the time, Thomas did not hold back.
“This is not merely an attack on one woman. It is an assault on human dignity, orchestrated by powerful forces operating from the shadows,” he warned.
He alleged that influential individuals in the film industry were attempting to shield those responsible, hinting at a coordinated effort to intimidate the survivor and bury the truth.
After Thomas’s death in December 2021, his wife, Uma Thomas, now an MLA, revealed more about that night.
She recalled how Thomas, moments before going to bed, received a call and rushed out without explanation — something he had never done before.
He returned only at dawn, visibly shaken and deeply disturbed, as though a family tragedy had occurred. She said Thomas had sensed a larger conspiracy from the suspicious behaviour of the driver that night and was under pressure from various quarters to remain silent. But he refused, insisting he would speak “only the truth — neither more, nor less”.
The shadows around the case deepened further in July 2017. Thomas lodged a police complaint stating that all the wheel nuts of his Innova car had been deliberately loosened.
A passerby had first noticed a problem with the rear-left wheel. Upon inspection, every wheel was found in the same dangerous condition. Since the vehicle had been serviced just three days earlier, Thomas called a Toyota mechanic, who confirmed that such loosening was unlikely to be accidental. Had the nuts come off while driving, the car could have been involved in a catastrophic accident.
In response, KPCC president MM Hassan then said the allegation must be taken seriously, especially because Thomas had played an active role in supporting the survivor and ensuring swift action in the case.
The sensational actor abduction and assault case took a dramatic turn in January 2022 when filmmaker P Balachandrakumar stepped forward with a series of explosive allegations against actor Dileep—a move that reshaped the investigation and added new layers of complexity to the already high-profile case.
Director P Balachandrakumar.
A close friend of Dileep until late 2021, Balachandrakumar, alleged that the actor had the assault video of the survivor and had attempted to influence witnesses.
He further claimed he had overheard conversations at Dileep’s Aluva residence in November 2017 about a plan to eliminate key investigation officers—a claim that prompted a fresh round of scrutiny.
Supporting his allegations, the filmmaker released a series of audio clips, asserting they were proof of a wider conspiracy that involved the destruction of evidence and plotting attacks on investigators.
His disclosures led to the registration of a new case against Dileep and four others, including the actor’s brother, and triggered an extended probe that brought additional charges such as conspiracy to murder.
At one point, the Kerala High Court even sought clarity from the Crime Branch on whether the “mere utterances” heard by Balachandrakumar could legally constitute a conspiracy.
Balachandrakumar maintained that he became aware of Dileep’s alleged involvement while discussing a film project at the actor’s residence. His testimony later positioned him as a crucial witness in the case, despite intense legal and political debates over the credibility and timing of his revelations.
The filmmaker, whose disclosures reshaped one of Kerala’s most closely followed criminal cases, passed away on 13 December 2024, aged 52.
The Kerala government has decided to appeal the acquittal of actor Dileep and a few other accused in the 2017 actress assault case, Law Minister P. Rajeev announced on Monday. The decision follows detailed discussions with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Pulsar Suni
Dileep, arraigned as the eighth accused, had been charged with conspiring with prime accused NS Sunil alias Pulsar Suni to abduct and sexually assault a fellow actor in a moving vehicle. According to the prosecution, Suni recorded the assault on a mobile phone as part of a conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by Dileep, who had purportedly offered ₹1.5 crore to film nude visuals of the actor.
One of the assailants, it was said, had even warned the survivor moments before the crime that a ‘quotation’ was about to be executed.
The prosecution also relied on statements from Jinson, Suni’s former fellow inmate at Kakkanad Sub-Jail, who claimed Suni had disclosed details of the assault. A letter allegedly written by Suni to Dileep and an audio clip purported to be Suni’s voice had also surfaced during the probe.
However, the trial court found no substantive evidence to prove a conspiracy involving Dileep and acquitted him. While several other accused were convicted, the court ruled that the conspiracy angle could not be established.
Minister Rajeev said the government remained committed to supporting the survivor and ensuring that “complete justice” is delivered.
“The prosecution achieved partial success, but we will appeal,” he said, adding that the government would study the judgment on receiving the full copy.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan backed the government’s decision, stating that the party would support the survivor even if the case reaches the Supreme Court.
“Everyone knows there was a conspiracy, but it could not be proved. We are not satisfied with the verdict,” Govindan said, assuring that the party would “go to the extreme” to ensure justice.
Echoing similar sentiment, CPI state secretary Binoy Vishwam said, “If the accused from one to six are guilty, the question that remains is — who wielded power over them?” he asked, hinting at a larger, hidden force that enabled the crime.
He added that Kerala’s people have faith that the ensuing legal battle will ultimately ensure punishment for all those responsible.
Describing the case as “extremely serious,” Viswam said it has exposed the vulnerabilities faced by women in one of the state’s most celebrated art forms.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph termed the verdict “not satisfactory,” alleging that both the police and prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy angle despite the case’s gravity.
“They failed to handle the case with the seriousness it demanded,” he said.
For now, Dileep may heave a sigh of relief — a court has cleared him of the conspiracy charge that shadowed his life and career for nearly eight years.
But the verdict has not silenced the larger debate. It has intensified the divide between those convinced a deeper plot existed and those who believe the narrative was manufactured.
As the state prepares to challenge the acquittal, the “conspiracy” — proven or not — is certain to haunt both the case and the actor in the months, perhaps years, to come.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
