Bhavana Menon breaks silence after Dileep's acquittal in sexual assault case: 'Not every citizen in this country is...'

Bhavana Menon, the survivor in the 2017 actress assault case on Sunday said the trial court verdict did not come as a surprise to her, noting that over the years she realised not every citizen in the country is treated equally before the law. In an emotional but strongly worded social media post, she alleged that her fundamental rights were not protected during the trial. She also said the verdict underscored how human judgment can influence judicial decisions, though she acknowledged that not every court functions in the same way. 

This marks the first time Bhavana has publicly responded to the trial court verdict, which sentenced six people convicted in the sexual assault case to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, while acquitting Malayalam actor Dileep. "After years of pain, tears, and emotional struggle, I have come to a painful realisation: not every citizen in this country is treated equally before the law,” she wrote on Instagram. However, she expressed relief that six of the accused had been convicted. "After 8 years, 9 months, and 23 days, I finally saw a small ray of light at the end of a very long and painful journey. Six of the accused have been convicted, and for that, I am grateful,” she said. 

The survivor also criticised those who had doubted her account, dedicating the moment to those who had called her pain a lie and the case fabricated. "I hope you are at peace with yourselves today," she added. She rejected claims that the prime accused was her personal driver, calling the allegation "completely false." “He was not my driver, not my employee, and not someone I knew. He was assigned as a driver for a movie I worked on in 2016. I met him only once or twice at that time, and never again until the day this crime happened,” she said, urging people to stop spreading false stories.

Bhavana added that the verdict may surprise many, but it did not surprise her. She recalled that as early as 2020, she had felt something was amiss in the handling of the case. She noted that even the prosecution had observed changes in proceedings, especially concerning one particular accused. Over the years, she approached the High Court and the Supreme Court multiple times, requesting that the case be moved away from the same judge, but all requests were dismissed, she said. 

She cited multiple reasons for distrusting the trial court, including the alleged illegal access of a memory card that was key evidence, and the resignation of two public prosecutors who described the court environment as hostile toward the prosecution. "Both of them personally told me not to expect justice from this court, as they felt it was biased. I repeatedly requested a proper investigation into the tampering of the memory card,” she said. She added that her requests for open court proceedings were denied and that she faced repeated delays in obtaining investigation reports. Concluding her post, Menon thanked everyone who supported her throughout the long legal process and addressed those attacking her online, “You are free to continue doing what you are paid to do." 

The assault, which took place on February 17, 2017, involved the prime accused, Pulsar Suni, allegedly sexually assaulting the actress and recording it with the help of others, after forcing her car under their control for two hours. Dileep was accused of conspiring in the crime and was arrested during the investigation, but after a nearly six-year trial, the court found him not guilty.

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