Dileep files fifth bail plea in Kerala HC after previous one gets rejected

Kochi: Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of an actress, on 19 September, filed a fresh bail application before the Kerala High Court, a day after a lower court rejected his bail plea. [caption id=“attachment_4035931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Dileep[/caption] The court deferred the bail application to 26 September for hearing. When the matter came up, Justice Sunil Thomas asked whether there was any change of circumstances to consider the third bail plea filed before the High Court. The court observed that the bail application can be considered “only if there are sufficient change in circumstances.” The police submitted that at present there was no change of circumstances. The judge declined the actor’s request for an early hearing on the application. This is the fifth time the actor has filed a bail application before courts, ever since his arrest on 10 July. Dismissing Dileep’s bail plea on 18 September, the Angamaly magistrate court had said that a petitioner can apply for default bail only if the investigating agency fails to file final report within 90 days. This was the second time the magistrate court had rejected his bail plea. The High Court had also rejected his bail plea twice. The court had dismissed Dileep’s second bail petition that came up on 29 August, after considering the evidence against the actor, produced by the prosecution in a sealed cover. Dileep has been lodged in the Aluva sub-jail after being arrested in the case. The Angamaly court has extended Dileep’s judicial remand till 28 September. Six persons, including prime accused Pulsar Suni, were arrested in connection with the actress abduction case. The police has claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car and film the act was hatched by Dileep. The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of 17 February and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.