Thiruvananthapuram:
The survivor in the actress attack case met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister, on Tuesday. The meeting took place amid the survivor’s decision to continue her legal fight following the recent verdict in the case.
During the half-hour-long meeting, the Chief Minister assured the survivor that the state government stands firmly with her. He told her that she should not look at him with tearful eyes anymore and assured her of continued support so that she would not have to cry again.
The meeting came after the Kerala government decided to appeal the trial court verdict, a decision that had earlier been conveyed to the survivor by Minister P. Rajeev. Following this, the survivor travelled to Thiruvananthapuram to meet the Chief Minister in person.
A few days after the verdict, the survivor had stated that she saw “a glimmer of light at the end of a painful journey of eight years, nine months, and 23 days.” She also said that she became aware of certain unfair developments in the case towards the end of 2020, and that the prosecution realised the case was taking a different turn when it reached one of the accused.
In the actress attack case, the trial court convicted six accused, sentencing the prime accused Pulsar Suni to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹3 lakh. Accused two to six were also sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. However, the eighth accused, actor Dileep, was acquitted, a verdict that has since sparked public debate and led to the government’s decision to appeal.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the government would continue to support the survivor in her pursuit of justice.
