Even as certain crimes draw the anger and outrage of the public, they also attract the attention of a particular kind of professional – the lawyer whose reputation grows irrespective of the outcome of the case.
Just last week, an advocate named Krishnamoorthy filed a bail petition in the Principal Sessions court in Chennai on behalf of Ramkumar, the prime accused in the murder of Infosys employee Swathi. However, the City Public Prosecutor claimed that this petition had been filed without Ramkumar’s permission. What’s more, according to the Public Prosecutor, Krishnamoorthy had also made some explosive claims to the media, including that Ramkumar’s near-fatal injuries were not self-inflicted, but caused by someone in the police team that arrested him.
But later Ramkumar's family denied any ties with the lawyer.
When The News Minute asked Krishnamoorthy why he filed a bail application on behalf of Ramkumar without his permission, he had claimed that he had recieved a green signal from 'some people' whose names he could not reveal.
Barely four days later, in Kerala, Advocate BA Aloor caused a minor stir when it was reported that the lawyer will reportedly represent Ameerul Islam in the Jisha rape and murder case.
Aloor, whose name was originally Biju Antony, had earlier represented Govindaswamy – awarded the death penalty by the Kerala HC in the sensational Soumya murder case – and had also appeared as counsel for high-profile thief, Devinder Singh alias Bunty Chor.
According to reports, Aloor had claimed that Ameerul’s advocate in Assam had handed the case over to him.
He told journalists that he had lost his previous cases in Kerala due to adverse media trials, and asserted that he was not afraid of the public reaction to his representing Ameerul. He added that he would seek protection if it was felt necessary.
However, Ameerul’s relatives have denied Aloor’s claim that he will represent the accused. Ameerul’s present advocate P Rajan, who was appointed by the court, has also denied Aloor’s claim.
This is however not new. In magistrate courts in Chennai, it is a common practise that bail applications are filed on behalf of people by lawyers without even alerting the person concerned. When the case is one that has grabbed media headlines, it is then no wonder that lawyers queue up.