The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) on August 14 unanimously resolved to pursue the immediate enactment of a Lawyers Protection Act in the State following a violent attack on the elderly parents of two advocates.
The attack allegedly took place in retaliation for the advocates appearing against one of the accused in a domestic dispute case filed by his wife. The KHCAA convened an urgent General Body meeting at 1.05 PM on August 14 to discuss the incident and the safety of advocates and their families.
The association resolved to take steps for the earliest enactment of the proposed legislation. As part of the initiative, it will convene a joint meeting of the Presidents and Secretaries of Bar Associations across Kerala to build support for the legislation.
The KHCAA Executive Committee has also been authorised to constitute a five-member committee to spearhead the initiative. The committee will prepare and draft the proposed legislation, engage with the government and other competent authorities, coordinate with Bar Associations across the State and take necessary steps towards securing its enactment.
The association strongly condemned the attack and extended its full support to the advocates and their family members. It also resolved to pursue measures to ensure that lawyers are able to discharge their professional duties without fear of threats, intimidation or retaliation.
Reaffirming the need for legal professionals to work independently and without fear of intimidation, the KHCAA resolved to act swiftly and collectively in implementing protective measures for lawyers and their families.
The incident occurred at the residence of the advocates’ parents in Ernakulam on the evening of August 13. According to reports, two men entered the house at around 5.30 PM and allegedly asked for the advocates, who had appeared for the wife of one of them in a domestic dispute. The woman had reportedly sought police protection and obtained a restraining order against the litigant.
The two men were allegedly armed with knives and threatened to kill the advocates and their parents. When the advocates’ 79-year-old mother asked them to leave, they allegedly dragged her 80-year-old husband outside, threw him to the ground, attempted to slit his throat and repeatedly stabbed him in the torso.
The mother subsequently lodged a complaint from the hospital where she is undergoing treatment. Her husband is reportedly in critical condition.
The Ernakulam Rural Police, through Njarakkal Police Station, registered an FIR on August 14 against the two accused under Sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons), 351(3) (aggravated criminal intimidation), 333 (house trespass after preparation for assault) and 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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