Kerala HC rejects plea to stay FIR against advocate accused of bribery, says allegations serious
Advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor has been accused of taking money from clients to allegedly bribe judges. The allegation is maligning the judicial system and the truth should come out, Justice Kauser Edappagath said.
The allegation against the senior high court lawyer stemmed from recent social media posts of a few advocates. (Representational) The Kerala High Court on Monday rejected the petition of Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) president Saiby Jose Kidangoor, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him over the allegation that he had accepted money from clients under the pretext of bribing judges.
Last week, the police had registered a case against Kidangoor under Section 7 (1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR was submitted at the vigilance court in Muvattupuzha. Subsequently, Kidangoor moved the high court seeking a stay on proceedings, alleging that a group of lawyers had fabricated a false complaint against him.
Rejecting his petition, the bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath observed that the allegations are serious in nature and it was premature to approach the court as the probe is at an early stage. The allegation is maligning the entire judicial system and the truth should come out, the judge said.
The allegation against the senior high court lawyer stemmed from recent social media posts of a few advocates. The HC registrar (vigilance) then suo motu looked into the allegation that Kidangoor took money from litigants under the pretext of bribing judges to obtain favourable verdicts. A full bench of the high court had accepted the vigilance probe, which prima facie found enough ground to start an inquiry. Subsequently, the report was handed over to the state police chief, who in turn, asked the Kochi city police to look into the allegation.
The Kochi police had recorded statements of various advocates, including Kidangoor, and his clients, as part of the probe. The police got legal advice that there is enough ground to register an FIR against the advocate.
Early last week, the Bar Council of Kerala had decided to probe the allegations following a complaint forwarded from the Union Law Ministry. The council has sought an explanation from advocate Kidangoor.
The Bar Council’s intervention came in the wake of advocates approaching the Union Law Ministry against Kidangoor. In the letter to Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, the complainants said Kidangoor has “close acquaintance” with most high court judges. “He used to show pictures along with the judges and thereby attract the judges, advocates, clients and litigants by stating that he can secure favourable verdicts by influencing the judges,” according to the complaint. “It is well known in Ernakulam that this advocate is an agent of judges of Kerala High Court and the only advocate who can influence the judges by bribing them,” the complaint added.
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