Sunil NS, also known as ‘Pulsar’ Suni, an accused in the 2017 Kerala actress assault case involving Malayalam cine actor Dileep, has moved the Supreme Court for bail for the third time.
Suni, in his plea, stated that while he does not dispute the seriousness of the alleged crime, the criminal trial process should not become his punishment.
“There are still many witnesses to be examined. The trial is taking various twists and turns due to incidents for which the petitioner has no role. Purely because (another accused) is a celebrity, the trial has been prolonged in many ways. The petitioner here is suffering pre-trial detention for more than seven years,” the plea added.
Suni also highlighted that his family has been ostracized due to his implication in the case, and his aged mother is not in good health.
The matter is expected to be listed before the top court on August 12.
Suni is accused of being part of a conspiracy to abduct and sexually assault a prominent film actress in 2017. The actress was abducted, driven around in a car, photographed, and sexually assaulted, allegedly at actor Dileep’s behest. Suni was arrested in February 2017 and has been in jail since then.
Notably, the Kerala High Court dismissed Suni’s tenth bail application on June 3, ordering him to pay ₹25,000 as costs for filing “bail application after bail application” by engaging different lawyers. This High Court order has now been challenged before the Supreme Court.
The plea added that although the examination of almost all witnesses is complete, the trial is unlikely to conclude soon as a further probe is ongoing. Suni has, therefore, sought an interim stay of the High Court order.
Suni first moved the Kerala High Court for bail in March 2022, which was rejected. He then approached the Supreme Court for relief, which in July 2022 declined to grant him bail. However, the top court had indicated that if the trial was not concluded within a reasonable time, Suni could renew his bail application before the High Court.
Suni subsequently approached the High Court again, which rejected his bail plea on March 6, 2023, reasoning that the accused could not be released on bail given the gravity of the offence. This verdict was also challenged before the Supreme Court, which, in April 2023, denied Suni bail for the second time.
