Advocate Beyline Das, accused of assaulting a junior woman lawyer, was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court XI on Friday (May 16, 2025).
The court will hear his bail plea on Saturday, with Judge Revitha K.G. ordering a police report on the case. Following his medical examination, Mr. Das was transferred to the District Jail in Poojappura.
Mr. Das has been accused of manhandling the complainant at his office on May 13 after she attempted to address a previous disagreement. The accused allegedly slapped her multiple times and hit her using a mop stick, resulting in significant facial injuries.
The Vanchiyoor police subsequently charged him under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The complainant also claimed that she had been assaulted by Mr. Das in the past.
The Thiruvananthapuram Bar Association suspended his membership, and the Bar Council of Kerala initiated disciplinary proceedings, barring him from appearing in court pending inquiry. After evading arrest for two days, Mr. Das was apprehended by the police near Thumba on Thursday.
Countering the complainant’s claims, the accused has alleged that he sustained injuries to his forehead and ear during the incident. The defence, which maintains that most of the allegations are fabricated, will likely submit medical records to support these claims. However, the complainant’s family has rejected the allegations of assault by the woman of Mr. Das.
Media crew targeted
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club condemned an alleged incident of misbehaviour by a group of lawyers towards an Asianet News crew outside the District Court premises at Vanchiyoor. The purported incident took place when the news crew arrived to cover the arrest proceedings of Mr. Das.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan said that no one had the mandate to ban the public and media from attending open courts.
He said the democratic concept of an open court underscored the societal need for transparency in court proceedings.
When journalists pointed out that some sections of lawyers had barred the media, at the threat of physical violence, from entering the district court for reporting proceedings, Mr Govindan said: “The media should find out who was against their presence in the court premises. The CPI(M)-affiliated lawyers and party members opposed any undemocratic ban. If necessary, the CPI(M) would study the matter and intervene”.
‘Not linked to CPI(M)‘
Mr. Govindan said the Vanchiyoor court was not a restricted area. It could not exist in isolation with its own rules and restrictions. “There are no special rules or rights for the judicial facility. It has to work in conjunction with the laws of the land and in adherence to fundamental rights of citizens,” he added.
He added that the accused in the case relating to the assault on a junior woman colleague was not a CPI(M) member or fellow traveller, as suggested by some sections of the media.
He stated that the government’s solidarity with the victim had led to the accused’s swift arrest. Mr. Govindan said the police should book those who harboured and aided the accused lawyer.
Published – May 16, 2025 08:04 pm IST
