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A Kerala court on Monday acquitted actor Dileep listed as accused number eight in the 2017 Malayalam actor assault case bringing an end to a legal battle that spanned almost eight years. The verdict was announced at 11 am by Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese.   The Incident: Abduction and Assault in February 2017 The case stemmed from the kidnapping and alleged sexual assault of a prominent Malayalam actress inside a moving car in Kochi on February 17 2017. The survivor was reportedly confined and assaulted for nearly two hours leading to one of the most closely watched trials in Kerala’s recent history. Ten Accused Faced Trial A total of ten individuals  including Pulsar Suni Martin Antony Manikandan B Vijesh VP Salim H Pradeep Charly Thomas Sanil Kumar alias Mesthri Sanil and Sharathstood trial in connection with the crime. They were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy kidnapping sexual assault gang rape destruction of evidence and common intention along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. Dileep additionally faced accusations of influencing and destroying evidence. Prosecution Timeline and Key Developments The first chargesheet was filed in April 2017. Later that year Dileep was arrested after investigative agencies claimed that main accused Pulsar Suni had sent him a letter from prison. He secured bail in October 2017 and a supplementary chargesheet was submitted soon after. Over time several accused were discharged or turned approvers. Fresh developments emerged in 2021 when filmmaker Balachandra Kumar alleged that Dileep had access to visuals of the assault prompting further investigation. Another FIR was registered over an alleged conspiracy to harm investigating officers. In 2022 suspicions of unlawful access to the memory card stored under judicial custody triggered a High Court-monitored probe and the introduction of new guidelines for handling sensitive digital evidence.   Lengthy Trial Examined Hundreds of Witnesses The trial was extensive with 261 witnesses appearing before the court—including many from the Malayalam film industry several of whom turned hostile. The investigation officer alone was cross-examined for 109 days. A total of 834 documents were accepted as evidence and two defense witnesses were heard. During the course of proceedings two crucial witnesses—former MLA PT Thomas and director Balachandra Kumar passed away.