KOCHI: The survivor in the actress assault case has filed a complaint before the Bar Council of Kerala alleging that actor Dileep's lawyers tried to influence witnesses and destroy evidence so as to help him in the case. Noting that the complaint has not been filed as per specified procedure, the bar council has asked for resubmitting the plea.
In the complaint, the survivor has named senior advocate B Raman Pillai and two other advocates from his office and has stated there are other lawyers who have helped them in alleged acts. It is alleged by the survivor that Dileep's lawyers influenced around 20 of prosecution witnesses so that they turned hostile during trial.
Seeking a detailed enquiry and action against the advocates, the survivor has alleged that the senior advocate had contacted an accused named Nasar of Kollam by phone to ask him to influence Jinson, who was a prosecution witness. Jinson was offered Rs 25 lakh and five cents of land in return, the survivor alleged while stating that police had given notice to the senior lawyer for questioning him but he did not appear.
In the case related to the alleged conspiracy to kill the investigating officers in the case, lawyers illegally intervened to destroy the evidence on mobile phones and visited a forensic laboratory in Mumbai as part of this, the survivor alleged. The survivor further alleged the evidence on one of the phones was destroyed at the lawyer's office at Ernakulam also.
Bar council's secretary informed the survivor that in order to file a complaint, a specified fee has to be remitted and 30 copies of the complaint have to be submitted. The bar council said it will take further action if a complaint is received in proper format.
Allegations fabricated: Dileep
Meanwhile, Dileep has contended before the high court that crime branch's allegation that evidence was destroyed is aimed at fabricating allegations against him. The contention was raised in the case over alleged conspiracy to kill the investigating officers in actress assault case. A plea filed by Dileep to quash the case is being considered by the court.
Responding to crime branch's allegation that crucial evidence, including those relating to phones, has been destroyed, Dileep has argued that the new allegations were raised so as to conduct a further investigation in the actress assault case. Dileep submitted that data in the mobile phones were not destroyed but recovered. The report from the forensic examination does not say that data was destroyed. There is no need to give the phones to a laboratory in order to destroy information, Dileep has contended.
Further, Dileep alleged the crime branch team's allegation that lawyers went to the laboratory in Mumbai to destroy evidence is wrong. The lawyers had gone to receive the phones back but the probe team has portrayed it as effort to destroy evidence. Nobody uses a phone beyond five years and no WhatsApp conversation with anybody related to the case has been deleted as alleged by crime branch, Dileep submitted.
As crime branch has not produced the equipment used to record the conversation before court, it cannot be considered as evidence, Dileep argued. The case registered by crime branch on its basis is therefore not sustainable, the actor has contended.
