Lawyers protest Kerala Police notice to Dileep's lawyer Senior Advocate B Raman Pillai

Kerala lawyers on Tuesday organised protest meets near the Kerala High Court and the Ernakulam District Courts after the Kerala Police issued notice to Senior Advocate B Raman Pillai, who represents Malayalam actor Dileep, in a case of alleged witness tampering..On February 14, the Crime Branch issued a notice under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to the Senior Advocate notifying him to be prepared to give a statement in a crime related to witness tampering in the 2017 actress sexual assault case.His client, Dileep, and his associates are currently being tried in the case at the Additional Sessions (CBI Special-III) Court, Ernakulam, for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to take revenge on a female actor in the Malayalam film industry by having her abducted, sexually assaulted, and photographed.The case has been in the limelight more than usual since January 2022 with the latest development being the High Court allowing the survivor actor to be impleaded as an additional respondent in Dileep's case to quash any further investigation. .The notice issued to Pillai said that a crime was registered based on a complaint by one Jinson that he was intimidated and threatened by one Naseer to change his statement in the sexual assault case in favour of Dileep.The Police stated that the counsel's statement was necessary to proceed with the investigation into an FIR registered in connection with the alleged witness intimidation..Taking strong objection to this, the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association organised a protest at the High Court Portico this afternoon.Earlier in the day, several lawyers met at the Ernakulam Bar Association premises to register their opposition as well. .Pillai has replied to the State Police and stated that since he is the lawyer defending an accused in a case, any request to share any information that may have any bearing on the case is illegal. This particularly applies to communications with his client which is protected by Section 126 of the Indian Evidence Act, he said.He also said that an FIR alleging tampering of evidence with respect to a case under trial is not maintainable as per Section 195 CrPC going by the previous judgments of the Kerala High Court.While he has registered his opposition to what he terms as a "challenge to rule of law", he has informed the police that he will make himself available if they continue to insist on the same. .In 2020, advocate Mehmood Pracha, was raided by the Delhi Police in connection with an FIR alleging that he had tutored a witness to initiate a false Delhi Riots case.When the Patiala Court declined to pass orders interfering with the search, Pracha approached a Delhi Sessions Court in May 2021.At the time, President of the Patiala House Bar Association RK Wadhwa had registered his objection to the Delhi Police raids conducted at Pracha's office.