Prime accused in Kerala actor abduction case gets bail after 7 years

New Delhi/Kochi, Sep 17 (IANS) Seven years after the infamous Kerala actress abduction case, the prime accused, Pulsar Suni, got bail from the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In this case, actor Dileep was arrested and spent nearly three months in a jail in Kochi.

Incidentally, the apex court was hearing the third bail plea filed by Suni and finally, he got the relief.

The plea was filed after the Kerala High Court on June 3 rejected Suni's tenth bail plea (overall).

A Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj Mithal in the Supreme Court passed the order on Tuesday after noting that Suni had been behind bars for over seven years and that the co-accused (including Dileep) in the same case had been given bail.

The Court has ordered that Suni be produced before the trial court within a week for his release on bail.

The Court added that the state could argue for stringent bail conditions to be imposed by the trial court before he is released on bail.

"Considering long incarceration and that the trial is not likely to be concluded (soon), a case is made out for enlarging appellant on bail. Appellant to be produced before the trial court within a week for grant of bail, State can argue for stringent conditions," said the court.

The Bench, however, refused to waive off the costs earlier imposed by the Kerala High Court on Suni for filing successive bail applications.

"We do not interfere with costs as it is to be deposited before legal services," the top court said.

"If an accused has to apply multiple times, and then such long judgments in bail. (In) every bigger High Court, docket explosion is a situation. Adds to numbers here also," Justice Oka observed.

Suni is among those accused who were 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.

Suni was arrested in February 2017 and has remained in jail since then.