Dileep Names Manju Warrier First After Assualt Case Acquittal; Why It Matters?
Updated on: 09 December, 2025 12:27 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Dileep–Manju Warrier controversy explained
Minutes after walking out of the courtroom in Ernakulam, having been acquitted in the 2017 sexual-assault case, Malayalam actor Dileep addressed the media — and his very first words referenced his ex-wife, Manju Warrier.
As he stepped into a crowd of cameras and supporters, he declared: “It was after Manju’s statement that there was a criminal conspiracy in the (actor’s sexual assault) case that a conspiracy began against me.”
This unsparing opening remark immediately reignited media and public focus on why the ex-wife’s comments from 2017 — delivered during the protests after the assault — have resurfaced at a moment when Dileep has been legally cleared.
By explicitly naming Manju Warrier, Dileep has reframed the narrative from a court verdict to what he claims is a personal vendetta against him.
Background: The 2017 Case and Why It Mattered
On the night of February 17, 2017, a Malayalam actress was allegedly abducted and assaulted by six men while travelling in a car. The assault was recorded on video, leading to widespread outrage.
Also Read: Malayalam Actor Dileep Acquitted In Assault Case After 8-Year Trial
Initially, the crime appeared to be carried out by a group led by a history-sheeted man known as Pulsar Suni. But as the investigation unfolded, suspicion widened: prosecutors claimed the assault was part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Dileep.
Two outcomes followed: six men — including Pulsar Suni — were convicted, but Dileep was acquitted due to lack of conclusive evidence linking him to the conspiracy.
The case had sparked a storm of debates around abuse of power, exploitation of women in the film industry and systemic failures. Critics and supporters alike saw this trial as a watershed moment for Malayalam cinema and the fight for justice within it.
Why the Mention of Manju Warrier Matters
When the assault sparked outrage in 2017, Manju Warrier — a prominent figure in Malayalam cinema and Dileep’s then-ex-wife — had publicly voiced that the crime “could be the result of a criminal conspiracy” rather than just a random attack.
She said, “Whoever is behind this criminal conspiracy should be brought to light.” At the time, her remarks helped galvanise industry protest and media attention.
Years later, Dileep’s re-engagement with those words seems intentional: by bringing her name into his first post-verdict remarks, he signals that the fallout from her 2017 statements continued long after the immediate outrage and that the very attention paid to the case — he alleges — triggered a chain reaction that targeted him.
This shift affects public memory: instead of merely the court’s verdict, the conversation now circles around who ignited the controversy and who benefited or suffered — making the 2017 statement by Manju Warrier a pivot in the narrative.
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