Mistaken identity: Twist in abuse' pits Kerala Police against lawyers
Kochi: In a new twist, the victim in the case of the alleged sexual assault by a government pleader deposed before Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Fort Kochi on Monday that she was forced to give a statement supporting the pleader. Pursuant to accused Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran getting bail in the case, the cops met the victim working in a private firm in Kochi and subsequently she was taken to the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Fort Kochi.
The magistrate recorded a 164 statement (secret statement) and the victim deposed that the parents of the accused lawyer had met her in person and asked her to withdraw the case. The friends and relatives of the accused had signed an affidavit in English stating that he was mistakenly arraigned as an accused, she said and added that she was not fluent in English and that she was duped.
According to Ernakulam Range IG, the victim received a notary-attested statement from the relatives admitting the guilt committed by the GP. He was arrested on Saturday night from Convent Junction, Ernakulam. Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran will file a petition before Kerala High Court on Tuesday seeking to quash the case registered against him as per 354 IPC(outraging the modesty of women).
Angered by the move to present the victim before a magistrate to record the 164 statement, the lawyers have decided to stage a demonstration before Ernakulam central police station at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Though a resolution was moved before Kerala High Court by the Advocates Association, the same was not passed owing to a difference of opinion.
The central police who are investigating the case issued a press release refuting the claims of Dhanesh that the cops had filed a fake case for personal vendetta. The police claim that the father of the GP had given a signed document stating that his son committed the offence and that she should pardon him. The police added that she approached the cops after coming to know that the accused got bail after the victim changed her stand.
