The Kerala High Court in the case P.G. Manu v. State of Kerala observed and has noted that the former Senior Government Pleader P.G. Manu who is presently facing allegations of sexual assault of a female client on the guise of providing the assistance for her, which ought not to be given special consideration which being solely on the ground that he is a lawyer.
In the present case, Manu had resigned from his post as Senior Government Pleader while following the allegation of raping the woman victim who had approached him for legal advice.
The bench headed by Justice Gopinath P. in the case observed and has stated that it should not appear that because the accused being a lawyer, some special consideration will be granted and whatever be the status of the accused, the same considerations ought to apply to the accused.
Therefore, the victim in matter, who has also been the victim in an identical case wherein she had been sexually exploited by another individual had allegedly approached the petitioner for settling the case of her. Thus, the allegations were made against the petitioner is that he established an ‘unholy relationship’ which being under the guise of taking instructions, and he has raped the victim at her house and his office.
It has also been alleged by the victim before the court that the petitioner transmitted nude photos of the victim to others.
The petitioner in the plea submitted before the court that the prosecution allegations were false, and that the registration of the case itself was a ‘calculated attempt’ from the part of some professional rivalries’ of the petitioner.
The petitioner in the plea argued before the court that the aforementioned persons colluded with the victim and forced her to give false statement against the petitioner.
Further, the plea moved stated that the conduct of the de facto complainant and her agents after registration of the crime makes it evident that the only intention of them is to tarnish the image and spoil the career of the petitioner, as they are circulating the defamatory and the derogatory contents which is against the petitioner through social media.
It being on the ground that the petitioner moved the application for anticipatory bail, in the event of his arrest.
Accordingly, the court listed the matter for further consideration on next Tuesday.
The counsel, Advocates C.P. Udayabhanu, Navaneeth N. Nath, Rassal Janardhanan A., Abhishek M. Kunnathu, Boban Palat, P.U. Pratheesh Kumar, P.R. Ajay, and K.U. Swapnil appeared for the Petitioner.