The crime branch probing the 2017 actor assault case moved the Kerala high court on Thursday seeking three more weeks to complete the investigation.
The investigating team approached the court as the latest deadline set by the high court (HC) expires on July 15.
In the new petition the crime branch cited the recent court order to forward the memory card for forensic examination and the disclosure of former director general of police (DGP) R Sreelekha.
The investigating team said that it needed time to question Sreelekha who had last week made some remarks favouring one of the accused, actor Dileep, in the case.
The former DGP who had uploaded a video on her YouTube channel Sasneham Sreelekha (With love, Sreelekha) on Sunday had claimed that Dileep was implicated in the case and the evidences against him were fabricated.Even though her comments led to a backlash but she maintained her stance.
The prosecution is also planning to move a contempt of court petition against Sreelekha. Last week, the HC had also turned down the trail court’s decision and sent the memory card — which contained vital evidences — for forensic examination to find out if it was tampered or not.
Last year, the Supreme Court had set a deadline of December 2021 to complete the probe. As the trial in the case was about to end in January 2022, a new case surfaced after film director Balachandra Kumar’s disclosure. Later, the high court had extended the deadline twice, in February and April.
Kumar had told the crime branch that he met the prime accused in the case Pulsar Suni at actor Dileep’s residence in 2016 and had also claimed that Dileep had a video clipping of the assault and had once invited him to see it. He also alleged that he was privy to a conversation that took place at Dileep’s house in which he came across a conspiracy to eliminate officials who investigated the 2017 case.
Soon after his disclosure, prosecution moved the trial court for a fresh investigation and the court asked it to file a new case in January. Dileep, his brother, brother-in-law and two aides were booked under charges of conspiracy, destroying evidence and influencing witnesses in a criminal case. Dileep is facing two cases now. The HC is expected to take up the crime branch plea this week.
