Kerala actor assault case: Dileep was angry with survivor, Manju deposed in court
KOCHI: Actor Dileeps first wife, Manju Warrier, who has consistently stood by the survivor in the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case, had deposed that Dileep was angry with the survivor,an allegation the trial court ultimately rejected. The survivor, too, told the court that Dileep was her one and only enemy. But the trial court rejected these depositions, citing lack of corroborative evidence. Reflecting on the verdict, Manju later wrote on social media: The fact that those who planned it, whoever they may be, are still out in the open is a frightening reality. The deposition of Manju stated, There was a gathering of members of the film fraternity to express solidarity with the survivor. During my speech, I said that there was a criminal conspiracy behind the incident and that it should be probed. Dileep and the survivor had acted together in a few films. Dileep believed that the survivor was the first person to inform me about his extramarital relationship with Kavya, and he was angry with her over this. According to the verdict in the case, Manju Warrier deposed that her marriage with Dileep, who was later acquitted by the trial court, was solemnised on October 20, 1998, and dissolved on January 31, 2015, and that she had been residing with Dileep from the date of marriage. Manju stated that on February 12, 2012, she noticed certain private messages exchanged between Dileep and actor Kavya Madhavan on his old mobile phone. When she tried to contact Dileep, she could not reach him. She then contacted Kavya, who allegedly evaded her queries. Manju further contacted Kavyas mother, who expressed concern over the matter and said she was disturbed by the relationship. Kavyas mother also allegedly informed Manju that the matter was known to the survivor and singer Rimi Tomy. Manju then contacted Rimi but did not receive a convincing reply. She shared these developments with her friends, actors Geethu Mohandas and Samyukta Varma, the trial court verdict read, citing Manjus statement. A close friend of the survivor, Manju expressed a desire to meet her personally. Subsequently, on February 14, Manju, along with Geethu and Samyukta, visited the survivors residence and enquired about the alleged relationship between Dileep and Kavya, the court noted. The survivor became emotional and, following directions from her father to speak truthfully, disclosed certain matters that, according to Manju, strengthened her doubts about an extramarital relationship between Dileep and Kavya. After leaving the survivors residence, Manju and the others went to Samyukta Varmas house, from where Manju again contacted Kavyas mother. She was allegedly told that Kavya had assured her that the relationship would not continue. Manju returned to her matrimonial home the next day, the verdict pointed out. Manju further stated that she called Dileeps brother and siblings to their residence and disclosed the entire matter to them. Dileep arrived two days later, and she confronted him. According to her, Dileep claimed he could not recollect the messages and remarked that the survivor is an immature girl and whatever she said need not be taken into account. Manju deposed that the alleged extramarital relationship ultimately led to the dissolution of their marriage. She also stated that she left her matrimonial home after the incident, leaving behind her thali chain and wedding ring. Dileeps counsel argued that Manju had not mentioned the messages issue to the police and that several statements made before the court were absent in her police statements. The trial court observed that there was not even a reference in the investigation records to Manju contacting Kavyas mother on any of the stated dates. It was also elicited during cross-examination that, between her first and second statements, Manju had contacted the survivor and Geethu. Supporting Manjus version, director and actor Geethu Mohandas deposed that Manju was in tears after learning about the alleged extramarital relationship. She stated that Manju had informed her about seeing messages exchanged between Dileep and Kavya. Geethu also deposed that she had discontinued her friendship with Kavya after 2009. However, the court noted that her testimony in court that Manju contacted Dileep, Kavya and Kavyas mother while staying at Samyuktas residence was not found in her police statement. Singer Rimi Tomy was examined to establish the alleged extramarital relationship. She deposed that Dileep, Kavya and the survivor were her friends and that she knew Manju Warrier. She stated that they had performed stage shows together and had travelled to the US during 201011, accompanied by family members, with separate rooms allotted to each. Rimi stated that Manju had contacted her to enquire about the relationship between Dileep and Kavya, but she was unaware of any such relationship, according to the verdict. Kavyas mother was also examined, but she did not state anything about the alleged phone calls made by Manju on February 12 or February 14, 2012. During her examination, Kavya denied that Dileep visited her frequently during stage shows and also denied that either she or Dileep had any enmity towards the survivor. On an overall consideration of the evidence, the court held that although Manju Warrier deposed that she had seen messages on Dileeps phone on February 12, 2012, and that they visited the survivors residence two days later, these crucial facts were not stated to the investigating officer. This is a material omission amounting to contradiction, the court observed. The court further noted that the prosecution tried to specify the date of the meeting between Manju and the survivor in 2012 to suggest that Dileep harboured enmity towards the survivor from that year onwards. To support this, the prosecution relied on an incident allegedly linked to a European tour in 2012. However, the court held that except for the oral testimony of the survivor, no evidence was available to substantiate the claim.
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