Kerala lawyer sent to 14-day custody for assaulting woman colleague

A senior lawyer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody after allegedly assaulting his junior woman colleague. The incident, which reportedly occurred inside his office on May 13, sparked outrage in the legal community and led to the lawyer’s suspension from the local bar association.

The accused, identified as Beylin Das, was produced before Judicial First Class Magistrate Revitha KG on Friday. He had earlier gone into hiding following the emergence of a video of the assault. He was arrested hours after filing an anticipatory bail application, where he claimed innocence and alleged that the woman also physically assaulted him.

Das’s lawyer, Dileep Sathyan, said his client had injuries on his forehead and ear, which were noted by the court. Another senior member of the Vanchiyoor Bar Association reportedly supported Das’s claim that there was mutual aggression. However, the woman’s family rejected this defence, calling it a fabricated attempt to influence the bail decision.

The woman, who was five months pregnant during an earlier alleged instance of violence, said this was not the first time she had been assaulted by Das. She accused him of having a history of violent outbursts and said she would pursue all legal means to ensure he is barred from legal practice.

Based on her complaint, police registered a case under charges of wrongful restraint, assault with intent to outrage modesty, and voluntarily causing hurt. The Kerala Bar Council and the Vanchiyoor Bar Association have both suspended Das from practicing law pending further proceedings.