The Kerala High Court reprimanded South Indian actor Dileep for showing reservation on handing over his phone to the investigating officials and directed him to agree to their demands on January 28.
According to reports in the local press in Kerala, the court expressed this directive while considering the anticipatory bail plea in the case where Dileep allegedly threatened to kill the investigating officers in the actress assault case.
The actor claimed that the old phones that the investigating team was asking for would result in a breach of privacy. He told the court that all his private conversations with his ex-wife and actress Manju Warrier were on that phone that he was reluctant to hand over the phone due to that reason.
But the court reminded Dileep that he was obligated to produce the evidence and that it was not up to him to decide whether the phone is crucial to the investigation or not. The Kerala High Court had scheduled a detailed hearing of the sub-petition filed by the prosecution in the conspiracy against cops case, as per a report in Malayalam Manorama.
The accused also claimed that he wanted to hire a private forensic expert to examine the phones, a request that wasn't entertained by the court.
Yesterday, the Kerala High Court adjourned the anticipatory bail plea of Malayalam Actor Dileep to February 2 in a case registered by the Crime Branch of Kerala Police for allegedly threatening the investigation officials probing the Actress Assault Case of 2017.
Interim order which restraining police from arresting Dileep will continue till then.
According to IANS, Crime Branch of Kerala Police registered a new case against movie actor Dileep and five others on January 9 for allegedly threatening the investigating officials.
They were booked under IPC sections 116 (abetment of an offence punishable with imprisonment), 118 (concealing design to commit an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 120B (party to criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people).
Dileep is named as the first accused in the FIR. Anoop, who is Dileep’s brother and Suraj, Dileep’s brother-in-law are the second and third accused. Appu, Babu Chengamanad are the other accused. One more accused has not been identified yet.
Dileep is also the eighth accused in the Actress Assault Case for alleged conspiracy. The case pertains that an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu films was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017.
