Pulsar Suni and Five Others Sentenced to 20 Yrs RI in 2017 Malayalam Actress Gang Rape Case

The Principal Sessions Court at Ernakulam has convicted Sunil N. S., known as Pulsar Suni, along with five other accused, for the 2017 abduction and gang rape of a Malayalam actress and has sentenced each of them to twenty years of rigorous imprisonment.

The trial court pronounced the verdict on conviction on 8.12.2025, and delivered the sentencing order four days later on 12.12.2025.

The matter was decided by Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese, who held that the prosecution had proved the charge of gang rape under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code.

The court found the survivor’s testimony to be credible and consistent and held that the evidence on record established the coordinated acts of Suni and the other accused. The court observed that the gravity of the crime and the manner in which it was carried out warranted the imposition of a substantial term of rigorous imprisonment.

According to the prosecution case as accepted by the court, the incident occurred in February 2017 when the survivor, a Malayalam film actress, was travelling for work. The prosecution stated that Suni and his associates intercepted the vehicle in which she was travelling, abducted her and subjected her to sexual assault inside the moving vehicle.

The prosecution submitted witness testimony, digital material and other evidence gathered during the investigation to support its case.

During the trial, the court examined evidence including the survivor’s statement, supporting witness accounts and electronic records collected during the investigation. The court found that the prosecution had established that Suni committed the assault and that the other accused acted together in furtherance of the common intention to abduct and assault the survivor.

The judgment recorded that the circumstances surrounding the incident and the corroborative material placed on record satisfied the ingredients of the offence of gang rape.

Once the conviction was pronounced the court proceeded to hear submissions on the quantum of punishment.

The prosecution sought strong punishment, citing the severity of the crime, the nature of the assault and the lasting consequences for the survivor.

The defence for the convicted accused sought leniency on factors including the period of custody undergone.

After taking into account submissions from both the sides, the Court imposed 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on each of the six convicted accused for gang rape.

Noticeably, the court had earlier, by judgment dated 8.12.2025, acquitted actor Dileep of the conspiracy charges in the case, observing that the prosecution had not proved his involvement beyond reasonable doubt and that the evidence on record did not establish any meeting of minds linking him to the offence.

The court also imposed fines and directed that additional sentences for other offences for which they were found guilty would run concurrently with the substantive term awarded for gang rape.

In the sentencing order the court recorded that the assault was premeditated and executed jointly and that the survivor had been subjected to a violent and degrading attack. The court held that the seriousness of the offence justified a sentence towards the higher end of the prescribed range. The fines imposed are to be paid in accordance with the applicable statutory provisions.

The case has remained in public attention since 2017 and involved a lengthy trial with examination of multiple witnesses and analysis of documentary and electronic evidence.

With the conviction of six accused and the earlier acquittal of Dileep, the trial court has concluded its determination of all charges arising from the much infamous incident. The findings now stand as the operative outcome at the Sessions Court stage, subject to any appeals that may be filed by the convicted accused(s) or by the prosecution on issues arising from the judgment.

Case title: State of Kerala v. Sunil N. S. @ Pulsar Suni and Others

Bench: Judge Honey M. Varghese

Judgment on conviction: 8.12.2025

Sentence pronouncement: 12.12.2025