KOCHI:
Kerala High Court will consider the anticipatory bail plea of filmmaker Nadhirshah, who is under police vigil in connection with abduction and sexual assault of a South Indian actress in February.
Nadhirshah is a close friend of actor Dileep, who was remanded in police custody. He was questioned by police earlier in connection with the case.
The police is likely to question Nadhirshah again following the revelation of Pulsar Suni, the main accused, that he received Rs 25,000 from the director before the assault on the actress.
In the anticipatory bail plea Nadhirshah said that he had no role in the attack. But following the latest revelation from Pulsar Suni that he received the money from Nadhirshah during a fim shooting at Thodupuzha, the prosecution may argue that he should be quizzed. Police issued a notice to Nadhirshah to appear for questioning on September 6, but he got admitted to a hospital.
Actor Dileep will also file a fresh bail plea in the court on Wednesday. This is the third time he is approaching the court for bail.
Earlier, Angamaly magistrate court extended the remand of actor Dileep to September 16. However, Dileep’s plea to attend the bali ritual for his father on September 6 was granted.
Kerala High Court denied bail for him two times. The Court said that prima facie there is evidence against Dileep in the case sheet will be completed soon. It is observed that the accused could influence the witnesses if he was granted bail.
When the bail plea came before the court on August 11, it was adjourned to August 18. The court had dismissed his earlier bail application on July 24 after finding that the probe into the case was progressing and the mobile phone, which the prosecution stated as a key evidence in the case, had not been recovered.
The actor in his plea on August 10 submitted that the scenario had completely changed and that he was not the kingpin of any criminal conspiracy or even a participant in it. The petitioner also contended that he was not the perpetrator of any criminal offence.
He submitted that there was a “large-scale conspiracy” hatched by a small but powerful section of film industry and certain others who could manage police, media and political leaders to spread “utter falsehood and malicious stories” about him for months together.
It ultimately resulted in his being implicated and arraigned as accused in the case about three months after the submission of the final report against the accused in the actress abduction and molestation case, the actor submitted.
Dileep, charged under various sections of the IPC, including for hatching criminal conspiracy for abduction and assault of the actress in a moving car on February 17, is currently lodged in a jail in his home town Aluva. Police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress and film the act was hatched by Dileep.
He was arrested by the police on July 10. Angamaly court extended the remand of Dileep till August 22, when he was produced before the court through video conferencing due to security reasons. Earlier, when Dileep was produced before the Angamaly magistrate court, the police had a hard time to control the public. Police requested the court for video conferencing and it was accepted.
Dileep was arrested on July 10 for the kidnapping and sexual assault of an actress in February. He was arrested for his prima facie role in a conspiracy and to facilitate further investigation as well as evidence collections.
Dileep was questioned last month for over 12 hours after he claimed he and a director were being blackmailed for 1.5 crores by the kidnappers, including the actress’ driver Pulsar Suni, the main accused in the case.
Dileep was removed from ‘AMMA’, hours after he was arrested in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of an actress.
The executive committee of Malayalam actors’ guild Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) has taken the decision in this regard. The emergency meeting was held at the residence of actor Mammootty, who is also general secretary of AMMA.
The Kerala Film Producers Association and Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) have also suspended Dileep’s primary membership in their organisations.
