SC grants bail to prime accused Pulsar Suni in 2017 Kerala actress assault case
KOCHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the 2017 Kerala actor abduction and rape case after considering the prolonged duration of the ongoing trial and his detention for over the past seven years.
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Pankaj Mithal had sought the report from the state government after Sunil NS alias Pulsar Suni approached the court seeking bail in the case.
Suni had moved to the SC, after the Kerala High Court rejected his bail plea on June 6 this year.
The court while granting the bail observed that Suni had undergone incarceration for more than seven years and all other accused persons have been released on bail. The court was critical of how the trial has been progressing at Ernakulam District Principal Sessions Court.
“Considering long incarceration and that the trial is not likely to be concluded (soon), a case is made out for enlarging the appellant (Suni) on bail,” the top court said in its order on Tuesday.
The court observed that the trial is not likely to conclude in a reasonable time period considering the procedures remaining to be completed.
From the report filed by the state government, the court noted that the counsel of actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, cross-examined the investigation officer from February 15, 2024, to September 10, 2024, for around 87 days.
The deposition made by witnesses runs to around 1,800 pages. It would take a long duration to complete the procedure under CrPC section 313 which will start at the district court on September 26.
It was Pulsar Suni who was allegedly hired by actor Dileep to abduct the female actor. The victim while returning from Thrissur to Kochi after a film shooting was abducted by a gang led by Suni and she was raped inside the moving vehicle. Apart from Suni, there are eight other accused including actor Dileep who are facing the trial.
The court ordered that Suni should be produced before the trial court within a week to finalise the conditions to be imposed for being released on bail.
