Actor Dileep, an accused in the 2017 sexual assault case, has approached the Kerala High Court against director Balachandra Kumar alleging extortion by him. In his reply to a statement filed by the Crime Branch, which is probing a case against the actor and five others for allegedly threatening investigation officers of the 2017 case, Dileep alleged that Kumar had intimidated the actor and demanded money from him.

Dileep said the director's wife was a Latin Catholic Christian and Kumar claimed that he was close to the Bishop of Neyyattinkara who knew the chief minister, ministers and senior police officers among other important people. It claimed that Kumar said he would inform the bishop that Dileep was falsely implicated in the case, resulting in a proper investigation and the actor being exonerated.