Advocate PG Manu, a former government pleader accused of raping a client multiple times, surrendered before the Puthencruz police in Kerala’s Ernakulam on Wednesday, January 31, two days after the Supreme Court quashed his petition for anticipatory bail. Puthencruz Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) TB Vijayan issued a lookout notice for Manu on January 14 after the Kerala High Court’s deadline for surrender expired. The High Court had allowed Manu 10 days to surrender, following which the accused approached the SC with a renewed petition. The SC bench upheld the HC’s order that in the event of Manu’s arrest, the Judicial Magistrate shall consider his bail application without delay.
Manu was charged with sections 376 (rape), 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), besides sections of the Information Technology Act. As per the complaint against him, the survivor had approached him seeking legal consultation for a case she filed in 2018, another heinous crime, which is yet to reach its conclusion in court.
The first incident of rape allegedly happened after he called her to his office on the pretext of discussing the case and assaulted her on October 9, 2023. The complaint stated that he threatened her against telling anyone about what happened. He attacked her twice again, on October 24 and 29, besides shooting private photos and videos of her on his phone, said the complaint.
The complainant’s lawyer, Padma Lakshmi, had previously told TNM that after the Aluva Rural police registered a case against him, Manu contacted the complainant’s family with a plea to settle the case and arrive at a compromise. In a recording of the call that TNM received, he can be heard saying, “Please don’t destroy my life. I am about to be selected for the judges’ panel. I will fall at your feet.” When the complainant’s suffering was pointed out to him, he claimed he would give “any compensation” that was required.
After the case was filed, the office of the Advocate General of Kerala directed Manu to resign as the senior government pleader, and he submitted his resignation on November 30. Manu had reportedly been the counsel for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kerala.