Actor Dileep performs father's death anniversary rituals

Kochi : Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested on charges of plotting the abduction and sexual assault of a south Indian actress, today performed his father’s death anniversary rituals at his residence in Aluva. Tight police security was thrown around Dileep while he was brought to his house from Aluva sub jail to perform the rituals.

He has been lodged in sub jail in Aluva ever since his arrest on July 10. A magistrate court had last week granted permission to the actor to attend the annual ritual. He had filed an application before the judicial magistrate court at Angamaly seeking permission to attend his father’s ‘Shraadh.’

Citing security reasons, he was not allowed to perform rituals in Manappuram in Aluva. The actor returned to the jail at 10 AM after performing the ritual. The Court had granted him time till 8 AM to 10 AM to attend the rituals. The magistrate court had last week extended the actor’s judicial custody till September 16.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court had denied his bail plea after considering the evidence against the actor produced by the prosecution in a sealed cover and the prosecution argument that the actor was a highly influential person capable of tampering with the evidence and influencing witnesses if he was granted bail.

It had dismissed Dileep’s first bail petition on July 24 after finding that the probe into the case was progressing and the mobile phone, which the prosecution stated as a key evidence in the case, had not been recovered. The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car on February 17 as well as film the act was hatched by Dileep.