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The most apparent and decisive power play in the 2017 Kerala actor assault case did not happen in secret, but in open court. Twenty-eight prosecution witnesses turned hostile during the trial, retreating into near-identical denials. “I don’t know”, “I didn’t see that”, “I did not say that”, “That statement was wrongly recorded by the police,” they said, leaving the fate of the case against one of Malayalam cinema’s most powerful men, actor Dileep, hanging in the balance.

As the eight-year-long wait for justice draws to a close with the verdict expected on December 8, the central question before the trial court is clear: can the prosecution prove that Dileep masterminded the abduction and sexual assault of a colleague despite these

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