‘Not every citizen in this country is…’

Bhavana Menon, a survivor in the 2017 actress assault case on Sunday, said the trial court’s decision did not come as a surprise to her, stating that over the years she had realized that not every citizen in the country was treated equally before the law. In an emotional but strongly worded social media post, he claimed that his fundamental rights were not protected during the hearing. He also said the decision highlighted how human judgment can influence judicial decisions, although he acknowledged that not every court operates the same way.

This marks Bhavana’s first public response to the trial court order, which sentenced six people convicted in the sexual assault case to 20 years rigorous imprisonment while acquitting Malayalam actor Dileep. “After years of pain, tears, and emotional struggle, I have come to a painful realization: Not every citizen in this country is treated equally under the law,” he wrote on Instagram. However, he expressed relief that six of the defendants were convicted. “After 8 years, 9 months and 23 days, at the end of a very long and painful journey, I finally saw a small ray of light. 6 of the defendants were convicted and I am grateful for that,” he said.

The survivor also criticized those who doubted her narrative and dedicated the moment to those who said her pain was a lie and the case a fabrication. “I hope you are at peace with yourself today,” he added. He denied allegations that the prime accused was his personal driver, calling the allegation “completely false”. “He was not my driver, he was not my employee and he was not someone I knew. He was assigned as a driver for a movie I was working on in 2016. I only met him once or twice at that time and never again until the day of this crime,” she said, urging people to stop spreading false stories.

Bhavana added that the decision may surprise many people, but it did not surprise him. He recalled feeling as early as 2020 that something was wrong with the handling of the case. He noted that even the prosecution had observed changes in the proceedings, especially in relation to a particular defendant. Over the years, he said, he approached the High Court and the Supreme Court many times, requesting that the case be remanded from the same judge, but all requests were rejected.

He cited multiple reasons to distrust the trial court, including alleged illegal access to a memory card that was key evidence and the resignation of two prosecutors who described the court environment as hostile to the prosecution. “Both of them personally told me not to expect justice from this court as they felt it was biased. I have repeatedly requested for a proper investigation into the tampering of the memory card,” he said. He added that his requests for public hearings were rejected and he faced repeated delays in receiving investigation reports. Concluding his post, Menon thanked everyone who supported him throughout the long legal process and addressed those who attacked him online, saying, “You are free to continue doing what you are paid to do.”

In the attack that took place on February 17, 2017, the main accused Pulsar Suni allegedly sexually assaulted the actress after forcibly taking control of her car for two hours and recorded it with the help of others. Dileep was charged with criminal conspiracy and arrested during the investigation, but after a nearly six-year trial, the court found him not guilty.

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