Manju Warrier reacts to her ex-husband Dileep's acquittal in Kerala actor assault case: 'Justice for survivor incomplete'

Dubai: Minutes after survivor and actress Bhavana Menon reacted to Dileep's acquittal verdict and sentencing of six convicts to 20 years in prison, his first wife has expressed her disappointment at the outcome.

"I have the 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 mind that planned and enabled this heinous act, whoever it is, still walks free and that is terrifying," said Manju Warrier on her social media account.

Minutes after her former husband Dileep was acquitted, he blamed his first wife Manju Warrier for tarnishing his image and accusing him of 'criminal conspiracy'. At the time of the attack in 2017, Manju Warrier openly declared that there was a criminal conspiracy behind the actress sexual attack in a moving vehicle. Days later, Dileep was arrest and spent over three months in jail after he was accused off orchestrating the assault to settle personal scores. And after nearly 9 years, a jubilant Dileep after his acquittal was quick to blame Manju Warrier for stage-managing suspicion on him.

"Justice will be complete only when everyone behind this crime is held accountable. 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."

She signed off the note with a nod to 'With Her' salute, to show solidarity towards the survivor.

"With her. Then, now, and always'"

The December 12, 2025 verdict has brought partial closure to one of Kerala’s most disturbing criminal cases, with an Ernakulam court sentencing six men, including prime accused Sunil alias “Pulsar Suni,” to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for the abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam film actress.

At the same time, the acquittal of actor Dileep, cited by the court as a consequence of the prosecution’s failure to conclusively establish a criminal conspiracy, has left the outcome deeply contested.

While the survivor has acknowledged the conviction of those who directly carried out the crime, she has also raised larger questions about equality before the law.

The verdict has reignited an intense public debate in Kerala on the adequacy of punishment, institutional accountability and the film industry’s reckoning with power, privilege and justice — ensuring that the case’s impact will resonate far beyond the courtroom.