Kochi: Two days after an Ernakulam court announced the sentence for six convicts in the 2017 Kerala actress gangrape case, the survivor on Sunday issued a statement for the first time.
‘Grateful’ for the verdict, the actress criticised the conduct of the trial court.
The case, pertaining to the 2017 abduction and assault of a Malayalam actress, dragged on for eight-and-a-half years before Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted actor Dileep of all charges but convicted six other accused persons.
The December 8 judgment said that the prosecution failed to prove Dileep’s involvement in the criminal conspiracy.
The actress took to Instagram to vent her feelings and thoughts.
“December 12, 2025… After 8 years, 9 months, and 23 days, I finally saw a small ray of light at the end of a very long and painful journey. Six of the accused have been convicted, and for that, I am GRATEFUL!! This moment is dedicated to those who chose to call my pain a lie and this case a made-up story. I hope you are at peace with yourselves today!!”
“And to those who still keep saying that Accused No.1 was my personal driver, this is completely false!! He was not my driver, not my employee, and not someone I knew. He was a random person who happened to be assigned as a driver for a movie I worked on in 2016!! Ironically, I met him only once or twice during that time, and never again, until the day this crime happened!! Please stop spreading false stories!! This verdict may surprise many people, but it did not surprise me. As early as 2020, I began to feel that something was not right. Even the prosecution noticed changes in the way the case was being handled, especially when it came to one particular accused,” the survivor ehared.
“Over the years, I approached the High Court and the Supreme Court multiple times, clearly stating that I did not trust this court. Every request to move this case away from the same judge was dismissed. I will share those details in the next slide. After years of pain, tears, and emotional struggle, I have come to a painful realisation: ‘NOT EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY IS TREATED EQUALLY BEFORE THE LAW’,” the post said.
“At the end of the day, this verdict made me realise how strongly human judgment can shape decisions. I also know that every court does not function in the same way! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who stood by me throughout this long journey!! And to those who continue to attack me with abusive comments and paid narratives, you are free to continue doing what you are paid to do!!”
“These are the reasons why I lost faith in this trial court: My fundamental rights were not protected. The most important evidence in this case — the memory card — was found to have been illegally accessed three times while it was in court custody. Two public prosecutors resigned from this case, stating clearly that the court environment had become hostile towards the prosecution. Both of them personally told me not to expect justice from this court, as they felt it was biased,” the actress further expressed.
“I repeatedly requested a proper investigation into the tampering of the memory card. However, the investigation report was never given to me, until I kept asking again and again. While I was fighting for a fair trial, the accused filed a petition requesting that this same judge continue to hear the case. This raised even more serious doubts in my mind (sic),” she observed.
“I even wrote letters to the Honourable President of India and the Honourable Prime Minister of India, expressing my concerns and seeking intervention! I requested the court to conduct the proceedings in an open court, so that the public and media could be present and see for themselves what was happening. This request was denied,” the post concluded.
The actress did not mention any name in her lengthy post, and thanked all the people who “inspired me to be nothing like them.”
