Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], (December 14): Actress Manju Warrier called the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court verdict on the 2017 actress assault case “incomplete”, asserting that while the perpetrators of a crime were punished, the alleged mastermind remains free.
Earlier this week, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court sentenced all six convicts to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in the 2017 actress assault case.
Taking to her Instagram, actor Manju Warrier said, “I have utmost respect for the Honourable Court. But in this case, justice for the survivor is still incomplete. Only those who committed the crime have been punished.”
The ‘Thooval Kottaram’ actress called the freedom of the alleged mastermind of the case “terrifying”
“The mind that planned and enabled this heinous act, whoever that is, still walks free, and that is terrifying. Justice will be complete only when everyone behind this crime is held accountable.”
She continued, “This is not just for one survivor. This is for every girl, every woman, every human being who deserves to walk with courage, heads held high, without fear in their workplaces, on the streets, and in life. With her. Then, now, and always.”
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The verdict delivered by Justice Honey M Varghese found the accused guilty of kidnapping with intent to rape (Section 366 of the Indian Penal Code), criminal conspiracy (IPC 120B) and gang rape (IPC 376D). Each convict has also been fined Rs 50,000, and failure to pay will result in an additional one-year imprisonment.
The first accused, Pulsar Suni, received an extra five-year sentence under the IT Act, but the court clarified that all sentences will run concurrently.
The Sessions Court had acquitted Malayalam actor and the eighth accused, Dileep, in this case.
The case pertained to an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films and was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI)
