Kerala High Court rejects Malayalam actor Dileep's plea seeking CBI investigation in assault case

Kerala High Court on 19 December rejected actor Dileep's plea seeking CBI enquiry in the Malayalam actress assault case.

According to LiveLaw, Justice Sunil Thomas dismissed the actor's plea and said that the accused cannot demand which agency should investigate the case. The court also dismissed the actor's contention that Kerala Police had carried out an "unfair and biased investigation" into the case.

The government had opposed the same and said that change in investigation agency cannot be demanded until after the final report has been filed. It was also pointed out that the actor had not questioned Kerala Police's impartiality during the course of the investigation. The prosecution was of the view that the plea was filed with the intention of delaying the trial.

It was previously reported that the Supreme Court deferred the hearing for Dileep's plea — seeking access to a memory card that contains the images of the alleged assault — till 11 January. In his petition to the top court, the actor had claimed that he has the right to access the images, which are crucial evidence in the case. Dileep had alleged that these images had been doctored "to trap" him, The Week reported.

Dileep, who was arrested on 10 July, 2017, was granted bail on 3  October after 85 days in custody. The actor had in June moved the Kerala High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the case.