December 8, 2025 • 24 mins
First, we talk to The Indian Express' Nikhila Henry about one of the most consequential criminal cases in Kerala’s recent history. A case that has been going on for eight years, where a leading Malayalam actor was abducted and sexually assaulted. Nikhila shares details of the case, the investigation and the verdict that was given by a Sessions Court in Ernakulam.
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy about Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to India, his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the discussions that happened during the meeting and the significance of his visit. (11:26)
Lastly, we talk about a demolition drive in Nainital during which 52 houses were torn down for allegedly encroaching on forest land. (21:47)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy about Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to India, his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the discussions that happened during the meeting and the significance of his visit. (11:26)
Lastly, we talk about a demolition drive in Nainital during which 52 houses were torn down for allegedly encroaching on forest land. (21:47)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode, we talk about Russian President Vladimir Putin's
visit to India and why it matters, especially at a
time when India's purchase of Russian oil has prompted the
United States to impose an additional twenty five percent tariff
on certain Indian exports. We also talk about a demolition
drive in Enithal where fifty two houses were torn down
(00:20):
for allegedly encroaching on forestland. But we begin today by
talking about one of the most consequential criminal cases in
Kerala's recent history. Hi I am Ahrikan Nanda and you
are listening to three things the Indian Express News show.
(00:43):
It has been eight years since a leading Malayelam act
was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted while traveling from her
home in Thrasod to coaching. The case led to the
arrest of actor producer Deleeb, one of the biggest stars
in the industry, who was accused of hiring men to
carry out the crime. And this week, a session's court
in Ernakulam delivered its verdict acquitting the leap of all
(01:05):
charges while convicting six other accused for rape, conspiracy and
related offenses. Now, the ruling comes at the end of
a long, closely watched trial that reshaped po dynamics in
the Malayalam film industry, triggered demands for structural reform and
became a benchmark case for conversations around workplace safety. To
(01:26):
understand how the investigation led to the leap and why
the trial unfolded the way it did, Michae league Ichasharma
spoke to The Indian Expresses Nikola, Henry.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Nikola, could you start by telling our listeners what exactly
happened in twenty seventeen and why this case became such
a watershed moment for Malayalam cinema.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah. So, on the night of February seventeen, twenty seventeen,
a woman actor who was traveling from Thrishour to Kochi
was abducted by six men and she was raped in
a moving vehicle while the accused drove around in the
city of Ernagulam or Kochi. The act of rape was
filmed and the film footage was kept with the accused.
(02:10):
But what happened later on was that the six men
who basically abducted the woman actor and raped her were
acting on some sort of a quotation which is what
is colloquially called us quotation, but basically a contract. So
somebody had basically, you know, set up a contract. These
men were asked to rape this woman actor. Is what
(02:33):
the case was. And in that conspiracy, a prominent male
actor of the Malayalam film industry, the Leap, got named
and it was accused that he was the mastermind behind
this conspiracy which resulted in the rape of a woman actor.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And so have investigators attributed any motive to his alleged actions,
like why did he do it?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah, So the Leaf's involvement in the case came in
to the picture later on when according to the survivor,
Pulsar Sunni or the AQS number one in the case,
basically mentioned the lib's name while committing the crime. Is
what the survivor had told the investigators, so mentioned his
(03:18):
name in the sense that, according to Pulser Sunni, the
lip allegedly gave a quotation or a contract to him
saying that this woman actor should be raped and that
is why the contract was being carried out. Is what
Pulser Sunni had told the survivor. Is what her statement
to the police revealed. So that was the point which
(03:40):
was the most crucial in the investigation. And then there
were similar questions which were raised by the survivor's friends,
close friends, including the Leip's ex wife Manjuwarir, who said
that the Leip had held a grudge against the survivor.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
So, from the.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Investigations point of view, what the investigation has found was
that the Leap had a problem with the survivor because
she outed his extra marital relationship with a fellow woman
actor while he was married to Manjuariir. Is what the
investigators found. And the case was centered around the allegation
(04:20):
that the Leap, who held a grudge against the survivor,
told Palsasuni to execute a contract in which he will
rape the survivor and film and give that evidence to
the Leap. So this is the basic premise on which
the investigation progressed.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
All right, and you highlight that the trial saw several
unusual turns, including two special public prosecutors resigning. So what
made the trial so contentious and turbulent?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So when the trials started in twenty nineteen, a judge
called Honey M. Vargis was appointed to the additional Special
Sessions Courte Ernaculum, and the trial began on January thirtieth,
twenty twenty. So there were two parts to the whole case.
One was that an act of rape was committed and
the second was that, you know, there was a conspiracy
(05:15):
behind the rape. So during the course of the trial,
what happened was that Judge Honey m Berghese was appointed
because the survivor asked for a woman judge to hear
her case, you know. But once this woman judge was
appointed to the additional Special Sessions Court of Ernaculum, there
(05:36):
were several allegations, especially from the survivor who pleaded before
higher quotes that especially the High Court and Supreme Court,
that the judge was biased against her. Then what happened
was that during the course of the trial, several witnesses
who had testified against the leap turned hostile and they
(06:00):
recanted their version of events. This included one of the
survivor's close friends. It included you know, some prominent film
personalities in Malayalam film industry. So the prosecution's case kind
of weakened, it seemed, when these people were basically recanting
(06:21):
their statement against the leap, and.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It was during the course of the trial that it
was revealed that a memory card which was in the
custody of the court was accessed illegally and this was
a shocking development. So talk about how it became a
critical point in the case and also what did the
memory card contain.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
So this memory card basically had the video footage of
the rape which Acqus number one Pulsasuni had recorded on
his phone. Though the phone was not recovered, this memory
card was recovered and it was in the possession of
the court. And this memory card was accessed illegally by
(06:59):
three judicial officers, a forensic report found after the High
Court ordered a probe into this. Then during the course
of the trial, two of the public prosecutors who were
representing the survivor quit without giving many reasons, though it
was kind of understood that the prosecution was always at
(07:21):
loggerheads with the judge in the court, and at one
point of time the judge even called the prosecution prostitution,
which basically led the large majority of people people, especially
those supporting the survivor, to say that the judge was
biased against the survivor. So those were the twists and
(07:41):
turns in the case.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And Nikola speaking about the survivor. Do we know how
she navigated these eight years.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, So the survivor's identity was kept undisclosed for quite
a long time, though especially in the media circles, it
was quite known who it was. But later on the
survivor came out and spoke about her audial in public
in a media interview. She said that it is during
the course of the trial that she turned from a
(08:11):
victim to a survivor, is what she said, and it
was a very powerful statement. So this woman actor's experience,
you know, was not just one of getting raped, but
it was also about some sort of social boycott within
the film industry. So soon after the crime was reported,
(08:32):
the actor wanted the ouster of the leap from a
very powerful film body called AMAH that is Association of
Mariala Movie Artists. But this ouster was not possible because
several big wigs in the film industry felt that the
leap should not be ousted from such a powerful body. Finally,
(08:52):
when the leap was ousted from the body, it was
after a lot of fight which fellow women actors including
Rima kalingl Parvadi tiu Vati and directors like Angelie Manan
had all put in, you know, a lot of effort
to say that the accused in a crime cannot be
(09:13):
part of a very powerful film body. So today, when
I spoke to Bina Paul, who's an editor, a senior
editor in the Malayalam film industry, she said that it
was the grit of the survivor which made a lot
of things, including gender justice possible within the Malayalam film industry,
by which she meant that WCC or the Women in
Cinema Collective came into existence only because of the grit
(09:36):
of the survivor.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
And lastly, Nikola, you just mentioned the Women in Cinema Collective,
So talk about how has the case triggered this, you know,
this wider reckoning within the Malayalam film industry.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yeah, so a lot of gender related questions came out
in the four soon after this gruesome incident of rape.
So the questions being raised were from the women actors,
technicians and other professionals within the Malayalam film industry who
said that gender discrimination and sexual assault or sexual discrimination
(10:16):
is part and parcel of the Malayalam film industry. Then
what happened was that the state government took cognizance of
the many voices which were coming out in support of
this woman actor who was raped, and they set up
a committee called the Justice Heima Committee which basically looked
into the gender discrimination within the film industry. So Malayalam
(10:40):
film industry, which is known for its progressive content, was
actually put in the dock by this twenty seventeen case
of a woman actor sexual assault. After the incident happened,
a lot of things which were within the film industry
which were discussed in hushtones, which were basically silenced with
the film industry, came to the fore and it led
(11:03):
to a turning which resulted in the formation of something
called the WCC or the Women in Cinema Collective, which
is a collective of women artists and technicians you know together.
So a lot of progressive gender related questions came out
during that particular time and that's why it's a watershed
moment for the film industry.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And next we shift our focus to President Putin's recent
visit to India and the significance it has for the
ties between the two nations. Now, Putin was in India
on the fourth and fifth of December for the twenty
third annual India Russia Summit, a tradition that began in
the year two thousand under former Prime Minister atl Biharivajpai.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
So on the Russian side, it's been either Russian President
Vladimir Putin or for a brief period it was his
protege and the Russian President and who also became Prime
Minister at Dinitri Medveday.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
That's The Indian Express's diplomatic affairs editor Shubuji Troi.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
On the Indian side, it has been sort of three
prime ministers so far. Prients Shuttle Varibajibe, with whom President
Putin in two thousand established this partnership and this sort
of annual summit and followed by doctor Mohunsingh and then
now Remodi for last eleven and a half years.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
But what was crucial about the latest summit was the
fact that it was Putin's first trip to India since
the Russia Ukraine War broke out in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
He had last come to India in December twenty twenty one,
about a couple of months just before our Russians invaded
the Ukraine and the war started in February twenty twenty two.
So from that point of view, it was very widely watched,
keenly watched by the world, as Russia Ukraine war has
still been continuing for the last almost three years and
(12:59):
nine months and going to be four years in February,
so from that perspective, it was an important visit as
signaling by Russians, also by the Indians, especially because both
countries have been on the receiving end from the United
States in terms of sanctions, and also India is facing
(13:21):
about twenty five percent tariffs or buying Russian oil which
takes about fifty percent tires also facing secondary sanctions from
US and Europe. So in that context, a global geopolitical context,
it was a significant visit. The other was that because
the annual Bilateral Summit, they also had an agenda of
(13:43):
bilateral cooperation from economy, trade, energy, defense, and other aspects
of their relationship.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
SOUL was going to talk about what were some of
the big announcements when it comes to their economic cooperation roadmap,
especially because this visit happened at a time when India's
purchase of discounted Russian oil has led the United States
to impose an additional twenty five percent tariff on certain
Indian exports.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Well, you know, they just announced economic cooperation till twenty thirty.
You know, the two countries have started cooperative on energy imports.
As I said, India has been buying Russian oil since
the war began because it was available at discounted prices
and India wanted to sort of buy cheap oil to
(14:31):
keep the inflation and check and didn't want to impact
Indian consumers with higher rude prices after the war started.
So the India Russia by lattle trade, it grew from
six to ten billion dollars to sixty eight billion dollars
in the last you know, four years or so. So
(14:53):
from that perspective, what happened was the Indians and Russian
leaders they had agreed and set up by that target
of about one hundred billion dollars by twenty thirty. But
now that India is under pressure to cut down Russian
oil imports in the face of pressure from US and
Europe and because of the Tariffian sanctions that I mentioned earlier,
(15:16):
So this particular sort of roadmap is basically going to
look at how they can still achieve this target. So
essentially that would also mean that India will have to
sell much more because right now it's a very lopsided
sort of trade imbalance that exists between India and Russia.
About out of sixty eight billion dollars, India sells only
(15:40):
goods only worth about four billion dollars, So essentially sixty
four billion dollars is in favor of Russia, which is
what Pressia sells in terms of oil and other chemical products.
So India wants to sell more, say, for example, Indian
products save fruits, vegetables, pharmaceutical and other things. So those
(16:00):
are the elements that were sort of looked at.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
And during the visit, Putan also talked about Russia's contribution
in building the largest Indian nuclear power plant, Kudankulum. How
have the TOOL leaders decided on taking forward their nuclear
energy partnership.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Yeah, so Russia has been sort of building the Codanculum
nuclear power plant.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
I think there's six total reactors they have to build.
Two have started and work on four more are continuing.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
So essentially to kind of cooperate in this civil nuclear cooperation,
they want to sort of power it ahead, and that
was sort of the main point of discussion. And they
also are discussing a second site in India for a
nuclear power plant, and the government and on both sides
(16:50):
are discussing where the second site would be. And the
Indian side said that they will try to finalize a
formal allotment of the second site.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
And as far as the bilateral relations between the two
countries are concerned, what are some other areas where we
can see India and Russia joining hands.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
So India and Russia signed a Labor Mobility Pact, which
is essentially a sort of India has a lot of
skill and semi skilled labor which Russians might need, so
they are i mean.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Looking at how they can sort of fill in.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
The gaps in say construction sector, hospitality sector, healthcare, these
areas and other areas where Russia might need skill labor.
So they signed the Labor Moriluty Pact. Apart from that,
a couple of things were India announced a thirty day
free tourist triesa for Russian nationals, both for individuals as
well as the group tourists. Essentially, Russian tourist groups are
(17:50):
come to India, say to go or other parts of
India for tourism. So that and also they sort of
pledge to work towards in early conclusion of a free
trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. So these were
the major highlights of the visit in terms of bilateral outcomes, and.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
We'll see how they take forward an Shubiji.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Given that the Russia Ukraine war is still going on,
was this issue addressed during the meeting and also what
has been new release stance on it?
Speaker 5 (18:24):
So India has sort of maintained that dalag and diplomacy
is needed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
I mean, the Indian Prime Minister has earlier told President
Putin that this is not the era of war. He's
also said when he traveled to Russia last year in July,
he said that solutions can't be found in the battlefield.
(18:48):
And this time he told sort of Putin that India
is not neutral and India is on the side of peace.
It's a similar framing which India or prime minister made
when he spoke to Zelenski in August last year and
he traveled to Kiev. So India has maintained that. So
it's a diplomatic title walk that we're seeing right now,
(19:10):
and we'll have to see how India navigates this particular
issue because India is under tremendous pressure from its Western partners,
with whom it enjoys and has developed a robust strategic,
economic and political security partnership for the last couple of decades,
and it doesn't want to lose out on that partnership
(19:32):
as well, and while keeping.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Its sort of partnership with especially in defense with.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Russia intact, So India's best bet is to have Russia
in their corner, especially in a sort of conflict sequation
with China. It wouldn't want Russia to kind of take
China's side because it depends on Russia for its difference.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Equipment, so it is in a cash two situation.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
So India's best bet is to be friends with both
Russia and the West in order to counter China's belligerians
in the region, in its neighborhood.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
As well as along its borders.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Right, and now we understand that New Delhi is also
planning to have Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski over for a visit.
So how do we see that going, especially in light
of Putin's recent visit.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Yeah, we saw that, you know, after Putin's visit.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
India sort of is discussing a possibly visit by President
Zalenski to India. It was the first visit by President
Zalenski to India, and not just I mean him, but
so his previous president, the last Ukraine president who came
to India was in twenty twelve. So the Indian side
(20:47):
is right now trying to navigate the same diplomatic titrop
walk and balance between Russia and Ukraine by staying engaged
with both sides. And it has said that it is
willing to contribute in any way in the peace efforts
that are being shepherded and piloted by US President Donald Trump.
(21:07):
And officials have told me that the visit by the
Ukraine president could happen as early as in January next year,
which is next month, so we'll see how that plays out. Also,
President Zelenski, you know, he has been engulfed in a
I mean his government has been engulfed in a massive
(21:29):
corruption scandal which involved his chief of staff Andrei Yermak,
who resigned last week. So all these political developments, as
well as broader global developments, will shape and influence the
decision making off a visit by President Zelenski in the
next few weeks or months.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
And finally we turned to a demolition drive in Nnital
that has triggered anger and allegations of proper action. On Sunday,
a total of fifty two houses were demolished by the
Nnekal District Administration, which it said were encroaching on reserve
forest land in Theterra West division of Ramnagar Range in Utrakhand.
The Indian Expresses Ashwareraj reported that the exercise began around
(22:18):
five am with heavy police deployment. Several residents, including women,
said they were detained and taken to police stations as
far as thirty kilometers away. According to Prashant Aria, the
Divisional Forest Officer of Terrai West, residents had been issued
notices and multiple hearings were conducted. He said the administration
had given them ample time to prove ownership. This patch
(22:41):
of land, he said, is part of a two hundred
hectares stretch of forest land that has been encroached upon
and that Sunday's action cleared twenty five hectares. The entry
of the media and general public was restricted during the exercise.
At least one seventy households have been served with the
viction orders. Of these, around fortypproached the High Court seeking
(23:01):
a stay. Aria said the administration cleared only those properties
where relief had not been granted. However, several residents and
activists dispute this claim. Some of those details said that
even properties protected under the court's stay order were demolished.
The Paktawari, one of the seventeen detains, said his family
had High Court protection from eviction, but action was still
(23:23):
taken on his land. When he showed officers the order,
he was told that the stay applied only to the
houses and not to the surrounding land. Later, according to him,
garbage was dumped over their agricultural land. While Arria had
said several structures in the area were built only in
the last fifteen years, several people have disputed this. Twari,
for instance, says his family has lived in the area
(23:46):
since nineteen sixty seven. Meanwhile, local lawyer Probadayani says the
stay order covered all land, not just houses, and the
demolitions were illegal because claims under the Forest Rights Act
have not been settled yet. It is key to note
that Nanithal District administration has earmarked two hundred hectares where
seven hundred families live as forestland. Talking about the drive,
(24:09):
Nenithal Police said that the exercise was in line with
the Chief Minister's vision of an encroachment free Utra Khant
and action addressing demographic change. You were listening to Three
Things by the Indian Express. Today's episode was edited and
mixed by Surish Bravar and produced by Ichasharma, Shashankagev and Niniharikhananda.
(24:32):
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In this episode, we talk about Russian President Vladimir Putin's
visit to India and why it matters, especially at a
time when India's purchase of Russian oil has prompted the
United States to impose an additional twenty five percent tariff
on certain Indian exports. We also talk about a demolition
drive in Enithal where fifty two houses were torn down
(00:20):
for allegedly encroaching on forestland. But we begin today by
talking about one of the most consequential criminal cases in
Kerala's recent history. Hi I am Ahrikan Nanda and you
are listening to three things the Indian Express News show.
(00:43):
It has been eight years since a leading Malayelam act
was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted while traveling from her
home in Thrasod to coaching. The case led to the
arrest of actor producer Deleeb, one of the biggest stars
in the industry, who was accused of hiring men to
carry out the crime. And this week, a session's court
in Ernakulam delivered its verdict acquitting the leap of all
(01:05):
charges while convicting six other accused for rape, conspiracy and
related offenses. Now, the ruling comes at the end of
a long, closely watched trial that reshaped po dynamics in
the Malayalam film industry, triggered demands for structural reform and
became a benchmark case for conversations around workplace safety. To
(01:26):
understand how the investigation led to the leap and why
the trial unfolded the way it did, Michae league Ichasharma
spoke to The Indian Expresses Nikola, Henry.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Nikola, could you start by telling our listeners what exactly
happened in twenty seventeen and why this case became such
a watershed moment for Malayalam cinema.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah. So, on the night of February seventeen, twenty seventeen,
a woman actor who was traveling from Thrishour to Kochi
was abducted by six men and she was raped in
a moving vehicle while the accused drove around in the
city of Ernagulam or Kochi. The act of rape was
filmed and the film footage was kept with the accused.
(02:10):
But what happened later on was that the six men
who basically abducted the woman actor and raped her were
acting on some sort of a quotation which is what
is colloquially called us quotation, but basically a contract. So
somebody had basically, you know, set up a contract. These
men were asked to rape this woman actor. Is what
(02:33):
the case was. And in that conspiracy, a prominent male
actor of the Malayalam film industry, the Leap, got named
and it was accused that he was the mastermind behind
this conspiracy which resulted in the rape of a woman actor.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And so have investigators attributed any motive to his alleged actions,
like why did he do it?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah, So the Leaf's involvement in the case came in
to the picture later on when according to the survivor,
Pulsar Sunni or the AQS number one in the case,
basically mentioned the lib's name while committing the crime. Is
what the survivor had told the investigators, so mentioned his
(03:18):
name in the sense that, according to Pulser Sunni, the
lip allegedly gave a quotation or a contract to him
saying that this woman actor should be raped and that
is why the contract was being carried out. Is what
Pulser Sunni had told the survivor. Is what her statement
to the police revealed. So that was the point which
(03:40):
was the most crucial in the investigation. And then there
were similar questions which were raised by the survivor's friends,
close friends, including the Leip's ex wife Manjuwarir, who said
that the Leip had held a grudge against the survivor.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
So, from the.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Investigations point of view, what the investigation has found was
that the Leap had a problem with the survivor because
she outed his extra marital relationship with a fellow woman
actor while he was married to Manjuariir. Is what the
investigators found. And the case was centered around the allegation
(04:20):
that the Leap, who held a grudge against the survivor,
told Palsasuni to execute a contract in which he will
rape the survivor and film and give that evidence to
the Leap. So this is the basic premise on which
the investigation progressed.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
All right, and you highlight that the trial saw several
unusual turns, including two special public prosecutors resigning. So what
made the trial so contentious and turbulent?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So when the trials started in twenty nineteen, a judge
called Honey M. Vargis was appointed to the additional Special
Sessions Courte Ernaculum, and the trial began on January thirtieth,
twenty twenty. So there were two parts to the whole case.
One was that an act of rape was committed and
the second was that, you know, there was a conspiracy
(05:15):
behind the rape. So during the course of the trial,
what happened was that Judge Honey m Berghese was appointed
because the survivor asked for a woman judge to hear
her case, you know. But once this woman judge was
appointed to the additional Special Sessions Court of Ernaculum, there
(05:36):
were several allegations, especially from the survivor who pleaded before
higher quotes that especially the High Court and Supreme Court,
that the judge was biased against her. Then what happened
was that during the course of the trial, several witnesses
who had testified against the leap turned hostile and they
(06:00):
recanted their version of events. This included one of the
survivor's close friends. It included you know, some prominent film
personalities in Malayalam film industry. So the prosecution's case kind
of weakened, it seemed, when these people were basically recanting
(06:21):
their statement against the leap, and.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It was during the course of the trial that it
was revealed that a memory card which was in the
custody of the court was accessed illegally and this was
a shocking development. So talk about how it became a
critical point in the case and also what did the
memory card contain.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
So this memory card basically had the video footage of
the rape which Acqus number one Pulsasuni had recorded on
his phone. Though the phone was not recovered, this memory
card was recovered and it was in the possession of
the court. And this memory card was accessed illegally by
(06:59):
three judicial officers, a forensic report found after the High
Court ordered a probe into this. Then during the course
of the trial, two of the public prosecutors who were
representing the survivor quit without giving many reasons, though it
was kind of understood that the prosecution was always at
(07:21):
loggerheads with the judge in the court, and at one
point of time the judge even called the prosecution prostitution,
which basically led the large majority of people people, especially
those supporting the survivor, to say that the judge was
biased against the survivor. So those were the twists and
(07:41):
turns in the case.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And Nikola speaking about the survivor. Do we know how
she navigated these eight years.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, So the survivor's identity was kept undisclosed for quite
a long time, though especially in the media circles, it
was quite known who it was. But later on the
survivor came out and spoke about her audial in public
in a media interview. She said that it is during
the course of the trial that she turned from a
(08:11):
victim to a survivor, is what she said, and it
was a very powerful statement. So this woman actor's experience,
you know, was not just one of getting raped, but
it was also about some sort of social boycott within
the film industry. So soon after the crime was reported,
(08:32):
the actor wanted the ouster of the leap from a
very powerful film body called AMAH that is Association of
Mariala Movie Artists. But this ouster was not possible because
several big wigs in the film industry felt that the
leap should not be ousted from such a powerful body. Finally,
(08:52):
when the leap was ousted from the body, it was
after a lot of fight which fellow women actors including
Rima kalingl Parvadi tiu Vati and directors like Angelie Manan
had all put in, you know, a lot of effort
to say that the accused in a crime cannot be
(09:13):
part of a very powerful film body. So today, when
I spoke to Bina Paul, who's an editor, a senior
editor in the Malayalam film industry, she said that it
was the grit of the survivor which made a lot
of things, including gender justice possible within the Malayalam film industry,
by which she meant that WCC or the Women in
Cinema Collective came into existence only because of the grit
(09:36):
of the survivor.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
And lastly, Nikola, you just mentioned the Women in Cinema Collective,
So talk about how has the case triggered this, you know,
this wider reckoning within the Malayalam film industry.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Yeah, so a lot of gender related questions came out
in the four soon after this gruesome incident of rape.
So the questions being raised were from the women actors,
technicians and other professionals within the Malayalam film industry who
said that gender discrimination and sexual assault or sexual discrimination
(10:16):
is part and parcel of the Malayalam film industry. Then
what happened was that the state government took cognizance of
the many voices which were coming out in support of
this woman actor who was raped, and they set up
a committee called the Justice Heima Committee which basically looked
into the gender discrimination within the film industry. So Malayalam
(10:40):
film industry, which is known for its progressive content, was
actually put in the dock by this twenty seventeen case
of a woman actor sexual assault. After the incident happened,
a lot of things which were within the film industry
which were discussed in hushtones, which were basically silenced with
the film industry, came to the fore and it led
(11:03):
to a turning which resulted in the formation of something
called the WCC or the Women in Cinema Collective, which
is a collective of women artists and technicians you know together.
So a lot of progressive gender related questions came out
during that particular time and that's why it's a watershed
moment for the film industry.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And next we shift our focus to President Putin's recent
visit to India and the significance it has for the
ties between the two nations. Now, Putin was in India
on the fourth and fifth of December for the twenty
third annual India Russia Summit, a tradition that began in
the year two thousand under former Prime Minister atl Biharivajpai.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
So on the Russian side, it's been either Russian President
Vladimir Putin or for a brief period it was his
protege and the Russian President and who also became Prime
Minister at Dinitri Medveday.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
That's The Indian Express's diplomatic affairs editor Shubuji Troi.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
On the Indian side, it has been sort of three
prime ministers so far. Prients Shuttle Varibajibe, with whom President
Putin in two thousand established this partnership and this sort
of annual summit and followed by doctor Mohunsingh and then
now Remodi for last eleven and a half years.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
But what was crucial about the latest summit was the
fact that it was Putin's first trip to India since
the Russia Ukraine War broke out in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
He had last come to India in December twenty twenty one,
about a couple of months just before our Russians invaded
the Ukraine and the war started in February twenty twenty two.
So from that point of view, it was very widely watched,
keenly watched by the world, as Russia Ukraine war has
still been continuing for the last almost three years and
(12:59):
nine months and going to be four years in February,
so from that perspective, it was an important visit as
signaling by Russians, also by the Indians, especially because both
countries have been on the receiving end from the United
States in terms of sanctions, and also India is facing
(13:21):
about twenty five percent tariffs or buying Russian oil which
takes about fifty percent tires also facing secondary sanctions from
US and Europe. So in that context, a global geopolitical context,
it was a significant visit. The other was that because
the annual Bilateral Summit, they also had an agenda of
(13:43):
bilateral cooperation from economy, trade, energy, defense, and other aspects
of their relationship.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
SOUL was going to talk about what were some of
the big announcements when it comes to their economic cooperation roadmap,
especially because this visit happened at a time when India's
purchase of discounted Russian oil has led the United States
to impose an additional twenty five percent tariff on certain
Indian exports.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Well, you know, they just announced economic cooperation till twenty thirty.
You know, the two countries have started cooperative on energy imports.
As I said, India has been buying Russian oil since
the war began because it was available at discounted prices
and India wanted to sort of buy cheap oil to
(14:31):
keep the inflation and check and didn't want to impact
Indian consumers with higher rude prices after the war started.
So the India Russia by lattle trade, it grew from
six to ten billion dollars to sixty eight billion dollars
in the last you know, four years or so. So
(14:53):
from that perspective, what happened was the Indians and Russian
leaders they had agreed and set up by that target
of about one hundred billion dollars by twenty thirty. But
now that India is under pressure to cut down Russian
oil imports in the face of pressure from US and
Europe and because of the Tariffian sanctions that I mentioned earlier,
(15:16):
So this particular sort of roadmap is basically going to
look at how they can still achieve this target. So
essentially that would also mean that India will have to
sell much more because right now it's a very lopsided
sort of trade imbalance that exists between India and Russia.
About out of sixty eight billion dollars, India sells only
(15:40):
goods only worth about four billion dollars, So essentially sixty
four billion dollars is in favor of Russia, which is
what Pressia sells in terms of oil and other chemical products.
So India wants to sell more, say, for example, Indian
products save fruits, vegetables, pharmaceutical and other things. So those
(16:00):
are the elements that were sort of looked at.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
And during the visit, Putan also talked about Russia's contribution
in building the largest Indian nuclear power plant, Kudankulum. How
have the TOOL leaders decided on taking forward their nuclear
energy partnership.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Yeah, so Russia has been sort of building the Codanculum
nuclear power plant.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
I think there's six total reactors they have to build.
Two have started and work on four more are continuing.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
So essentially to kind of cooperate in this civil nuclear cooperation,
they want to sort of power it ahead, and that
was sort of the main point of discussion. And they
also are discussing a second site in India for a
nuclear power plant, and the government and on both sides
(16:50):
are discussing where the second site would be. And the
Indian side said that they will try to finalize a
formal allotment of the second site.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
And as far as the bilateral relations between the two
countries are concerned, what are some other areas where we
can see India and Russia joining hands.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
So India and Russia signed a Labor Mobility Pact, which
is essentially a sort of India has a lot of
skill and semi skilled labor which Russians might need, so
they are i mean.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Looking at how they can sort of fill in.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
The gaps in say construction sector, hospitality sector, healthcare, these
areas and other areas where Russia might need skill labor.
So they signed the Labor Moriluty Pact. Apart from that,
a couple of things were India announced a thirty day
free tourist triesa for Russian nationals, both for individuals as
well as the group tourists. Essentially, Russian tourist groups are
(17:50):
come to India, say to go or other parts of
India for tourism. So that and also they sort of
pledge to work towards in early conclusion of a free
trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. So these were
the major highlights of the visit in terms of bilateral outcomes, and.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
We'll see how they take forward an Shubiji.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Given that the Russia Ukraine war is still going on,
was this issue addressed during the meeting and also what
has been new release stance on it?
Speaker 5 (18:24):
So India has sort of maintained that dalag and diplomacy
is needed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
I mean, the Indian Prime Minister has earlier told President
Putin that this is not the era of war. He's
also said when he traveled to Russia last year in July,
he said that solutions can't be found in the battlefield.
(18:48):
And this time he told sort of Putin that India
is not neutral and India is on the side of peace.
It's a similar framing which India or prime minister made
when he spoke to Zelenski in August last year and
he traveled to Kiev. So India has maintained that. So
it's a diplomatic title walk that we're seeing right now,
(19:10):
and we'll have to see how India navigates this particular
issue because India is under tremendous pressure from its Western partners,
with whom it enjoys and has developed a robust strategic,
economic and political security partnership for the last couple of decades,
and it doesn't want to lose out on that partnership
(19:32):
as well, and while keeping.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Its sort of partnership with especially in defense with.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Russia intact, So India's best bet is to have Russia
in their corner, especially in a sort of conflict sequation
with China. It wouldn't want Russia to kind of take
China's side because it depends on Russia for its difference.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Equipment, so it is in a cash two situation.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
So India's best bet is to be friends with both
Russia and the West in order to counter China's belligerians
in the region, in its neighborhood.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
As well as along its borders.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Right, and now we understand that New Delhi is also
planning to have Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski over for a visit.
So how do we see that going, especially in light
of Putin's recent visit.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Yeah, we saw that, you know, after Putin's visit.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
India sort of is discussing a possibly visit by President
Zalenski to India. It was the first visit by President
Zalenski to India, and not just I mean him, but
so his previous president, the last Ukraine president who came
to India was in twenty twelve. So the Indian side
(20:47):
is right now trying to navigate the same diplomatic titrop
walk and balance between Russia and Ukraine by staying engaged
with both sides. And it has said that it is
willing to contribute in any way in the peace efforts
that are being shepherded and piloted by US President Donald Trump.
(21:07):
And officials have told me that the visit by the
Ukraine president could happen as early as in January next year,
which is next month, so we'll see how that plays out. Also,
President Zelenski, you know, he has been engulfed in a
I mean his government has been engulfed in a massive
(21:29):
corruption scandal which involved his chief of staff Andrei Yermak,
who resigned last week. So all these political developments, as
well as broader global developments, will shape and influence the
decision making off a visit by President Zelenski in the
next few weeks or months.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
And finally we turned to a demolition drive in Nnital
that has triggered anger and allegations of proper action. On Sunday,
a total of fifty two houses were demolished by the
Nnekal District Administration, which it said were encroaching on reserve
forest land in Theterra West division of Ramnagar Range in Utrakhand.
The Indian Expresses Ashwareraj reported that the exercise began around
(22:18):
five am with heavy police deployment. Several residents, including women,
said they were detained and taken to police stations as
far as thirty kilometers away. According to Prashant Aria, the
Divisional Forest Officer of Terrai West, residents had been issued
notices and multiple hearings were conducted. He said the administration
had given them ample time to prove ownership. This patch
(22:41):
of land, he said, is part of a two hundred
hectares stretch of forest land that has been encroached upon
and that Sunday's action cleared twenty five hectares. The entry
of the media and general public was restricted during the exercise.
At least one seventy households have been served with the
viction orders. Of these, around fortypproached the High Court seeking
(23:01):
a stay. Aria said the administration cleared only those properties
where relief had not been granted. However, several residents and
activists dispute this claim. Some of those details said that
even properties protected under the court's stay order were demolished.
The Paktawari, one of the seventeen detains, said his family
had High Court protection from eviction, but action was still
(23:23):
taken on his land. When he showed officers the order,
he was told that the stay applied only to the
houses and not to the surrounding land. Later, according to him,
garbage was dumped over their agricultural land. While Arria had
said several structures in the area were built only in
the last fifteen years, several people have disputed this. Twari,
for instance, says his family has lived in the area
(23:46):
since nineteen sixty seven. Meanwhile, local lawyer Probadayani says the
stay order covered all land, not just houses, and the
demolitions were illegal because claims under the Forest Rights Act
have not been settled yet. It is key to note
that Nanithal District administration has earmarked two hundred hectares where
seven hundred families live as forestland. Talking about the drive,
(24:09):
Nenithal Police said that the exercise was in line with
the Chief Minister's vision of an encroachment free Utra Khant
and action addressing demographic change. You were listening to Three
Things by the Indian Express. Today's episode was edited and
mixed by Surish Bravar and produced by Ichasharma, Shashankagev and Niniharikhananda.
(24:32):
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