Kerala High Court grants bail to former senior government pleader accused of rape

The Kerala High Court on Friday granted bail to PG Manu, a former senior government pleader who practiced before the High Court and who was arrested on allegations of subjecting a client to rape [PG Manu v. State of Kerala]..Justice Sophy Thomas observed that the case against Manu was very serious especially considering that he allegedly took advantage of his position of power. "The fact that the petitioner was a senior government pleader of this Court and that he sexually exploited a hapless lady who approached him to settle a case which was registered at her instance is a serious thing to be taken note of. The petitioner who was in a position to dominate the will of the victim sexually exploited her and committed rape and sent obscene videos to her continuously," the Court observed in its order..However, the Court granted bail after noting that the investigation has been completed and the final report has been filed.The Court imposed the following conditions while granting bail:the petitioner (PG Manu) shall execute a bond for ₹2 lakhs with two solvent sureties for the like sum to the satisfaction of the trial court;the petitioner shall report before the investigating officer on the first Saturday of every month at 3 PM till the material witnesses in the sessions case are examined;the petitioner shall not enter the limits of Chottanikkara police station till the trial is over except for reporting before the investigating officer;the petitioner shall not contact the victim or her family members or cause any harassment to them; and the petitioner shall surrender his passport. .Manu is accused of having raped a woman who approached him for legal advice. She was the survivor of a different sexual abuse case from 2018.The prosecution's case was that Manu raped her repeatedly in October last year. It was also alleged that Manu sent her obscene videos and threatened to release compromising photos of her that he had clicked. Based on a complaint moved by the woman, the police registered a first information report (FIR) against Manu for rape and other offences punishable under the Information Technology Act (IT Act).Subsequently, Manu resigned from his post of senior government pleader..In December 2023, Manu approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. However, he was unsuccessful as the Court dismissed his petition.He then moved the Supreme Court but the apex court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail. However, Manu was given ten more days to surrender.On January 31, Manu was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. He moved the trial court for regular bail but his bail application was rejected following which he moved the High Court with the present petition..Today, the Court granted him bail subject to conditions. .Manu was represented by advocates PK Varghese, MT Sameer, Dhanesh V Madhavan, KR Arun Krishnan, Jerry Mathew, Reghu Sreedharan, Rameez M Azeez, and Athul P. The complainant was represented by advocates John S Ralph, Apoorva Ramkumar, and Vishnumaya MB..[Read Order]