Kochi: The Puthencruz DySP on Sunday issued a lookout notice against former Senior Government Pleader of the High Court Adv P G Manu, who is on the run after sexually assaulting his client who had sought legal help in a rape case. The notice was issued after the deadline the High Court gave for Manu to surrender expired.
The High Court had allowed Manu 10 days to surrender. In his order, Justice P Gopinath stated that if the accused surrenders within the deadline, he should be produced before the Magistrate and his bail application should be considered without delay. The Chottanikara police registered a case against Manu based on a complaint given by the woman to the Rural SP. Once a case was registered, Manu resigned as a Senior Government Pleader.
The case
On October 9, 2023, the 25-year-old woman approached Manu seeking legal advice in a 2018 sexual harassment case. The lawyer was first contacted by an ex-policeman who was the investigating officer in the case.
According to the complainant, the accused first tried to sexually assault the woman on October 9 when she visited his Kadavanthra office along with her father and mother. Manu allegedly asked the parents to wait outside and closed the door on the pretext of discussing the case with the survivor. He even threatened to turn the 2018 case around and make her an accused instead of a victim. The advocate also summoned her on October 11 in connection with the case and repeated the offence while her father waited outside.
The woman added that he continued to make obscene remarks through WhatsApp calls and chats. The accused also visited the survivor at her place on November 24 after ensuring her parents and brother were not home and forced his way into the house and raped her, the complaint alleged.
The accused also visited her home in the presence of her mother. The survivor's mother was quick to notice the signs of discomfort on her daughter's face in the presence of the accused. When the mother confronted her, she finally confided about her ordeal.
The woman's statement was recorded after the complaint given to the Ernakulam Rural SP was handed over to the Chottanikkara police. In the complaint, the woman also said that apart from the torture, the accused took pictures of her naked body. In addition to sexual harassment under section 376 of the IPC, the police have registered a case under the IT Act.
