Actor Assault Case: Judge Honey Varghese Warns Media Against Distorting Court Proceedings
The Principal District and Sessions Court in Ernakulam issued a strong warning on Friday, December 12, asking media personnel and lawyers not to distort the court proceedings in the high-profile Actor Assault Case.
The warning was made by Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese before the court began the hearing on the sentencing of the convicted accused.
During the session, the Judge clearly stated that no one should record the court proceedings and that any form of distortion in media reports would not be tolerated.
She reminded everyone that opinions or comments should not be made before reading the official judgment. Judge Varghese also noted that the case had been sensationalised by the media from the very beginning, and even more so after the verdict was announced.
Also, read| Kerala Government To Appeal Verdict In Actor Assault Case
The Court completed a detailed hearing and informed that the sentencing order would be pronounced later in the day at 3:30 p.m.
Earlier, the Court had acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep, who was the 8th accused in the case. However, it convicted six other accused, including the prime accused Sunil N.S., also known as Pulsar Suni. The sentencing hearing for these convicted individuals has been postponed to today.
When the case came up for consideration, the Court commented that this matter should ideally have been handled with confidentiality. The judge pointed out that the victim’s identity should not have been revealed, but the media failed to maintain the required privacy.
Also, read| Kerala Actor Assault Case: Actor Dileep Acquitted
Dileep had also approached the Kerala High Court earlier, complaining of a media trial. The High Court recently asked the State to update the court on the progress of five FIRs that were registered after Dileep’s plea alleging violation of the ban on publishing or broadcasting trial proceedings.
Additionally, several contempt petitions related to this case are still pending before the Sessions Court. The Court has scheduled these petitions to be considered on December 18.
