Kerala: Sexual assault survivor approaches bar council against lawyers of accused

The Malayali actress who survived a sexual assault in Kerala has filed a petition at the Kerala Bar Council alleging attempts by lawyers of the accused to distort evidence.

According to sources, the actress alleged in the petitions that the lawyers, including some seniors, were trying to tamper with evidence in the case and influence witnesses.

The petition assumed significance as around 20 witnesses in the case already turned hostile. The Crime Branch team probing the sexual assault case as well as the case pertaining to actor Dileep allegedly hatching a conspiracy to endanger police officers had recently issued notice to take the statement of senior lawyer B Raman Pilla, who is representing Dileep. The move was stalled following resistance from lawyers.

Sources said that the actress specifically named some senior lawyers in her petition to the Bar Council. She alleged that a senior lawyer personally intervened to influence some witnesses. It was also alleged that digital evidence from the mobile phones of the accused was being tampered with at the behest of lawyers.

Meanwhile, Dileep said in a statement at the High Court that the allegations that digital evidence in the mobile phones surrendered by him in connection with the case was not tampered by him. He said that only personal conversations were deleted from the phones.

The Crime Branch had earlier stated that a forensic examination of the phones found that digital evidence in the phone was found tampered with. The Crime Branch managed to retrieve some evidence. A cyber expert who helped in deleting the digital evidence might be arraigned in the case, said sources.

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