Former Kerala govt pleader accused of raping client surrenders before police
The former senior advocate faces charges of raping the woman who had approached him for legal aid in connection with a 2018 sexual harassment case in which she is the survivor.
Kochi: A former senior government pleader at the Kerala high court, accused of raping a sexual harassment survivor, surrendered before the local police in Ernakulam district on Wednesday after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition, people aware of the matter said.
PG Manu, a senior government prosecutor, was booked by the Chottanikkara police in Ernakulam district in November last year following a complaint filed by his client, a 25-year-old woman. Manu faces charges of raping the woman who had approached him for legal aid in connection with a 2018 sexual harassment case in which she is the survivor.
The Supreme Court on January 29 quashed his petition seeking anticipatory bail in the rape case and granted him 10 days to surrender before the police.Manu had previously approached the Kerala high court with an anticipatory bail petition which was dismissed.
According to the first information report (FIR), Manu raped her several times, including at his office in Kochi and at her residence in October last year.
“The accused has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and relevant sections of the IT act,” said a police officer of the Chottanikkara station where the case was booked.
“According to the complainant, the accused raped her several times, including at his office in Kadavanthra and at her residence. She had met him to ask for legal aid in connection with another case of sexual harassment she had filed back in 2018 in which the trial is still ongoing. The complaint says that he sent lewd messages to her through social media and shot private photos and videos of her on his phone,” the officer said.
After the FIR was filed, Manu was asked to surrender and resign from his post by the attorney general on November 30. A look-out notice was issued by the Kerala Police against Manu on January 14 after the time given by the Kerala high court for the lawyer to surrender expired on January 12.
On Wednesday, he surrendered after the Supreme Court upheld the Kerala high court’s order.
At the same time, the top court also sustained the high court’s observation that in the event of his arrest, the judicial magistrate shall consider his bail application without any delay.
