Advocate’s suicide

Judicial circles are agog that some top lawyers are among the 15. The police are keeping the names under wraps, saying they cannot be revealed before investigations are complete.

Sangita’s family handed over the diary, which had been mentioned in her suicide note. The police also found a unmailed letter addressed by Sangita to the Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman in her room.

The letter documents how her senior lawyer Vijay Kumar and his advocate-relative G Narsimha Naidu "sexually harassed" her. While cases have been booked against both the advocates under Section 306 of IPC (abetment to suicide) and investigation is in progress, Narsimha Naidu has been remanded to judicial custody. Sangita has restricted references in her letter only to these two, though there are several names listed in the diary. The letter was dated December 27, 1999.

In vivid description of the behaviour of both advocates towards her, she says in the two-page letter: "He (Vijay Kumar) wanted to have sexual relationship with me and (that) I should cooperate with him in illegal activities. (He says) I should become his keep, so that in return he would make me an AGP (Assistant Government Pleader) in future as he is in a very dominating position because of his political influence."

The letter goes on to say that "he (Vijay Kumar) wanted to use my flat in New Bowenpally to conduct parties on Saturdays and Sundays in which some illegal activities will take place and forcibly wanted me to listen to him as his name in the judges panel. I was very much shocked to listen to all these things. I did not imagine that a learned person can offer me such a proposal and I frankly refused."

But the issue did not die there. According to Sangita, a divorcee, Kumar threatened to kidnap her son or her "if I do not accept his proposal. The next day, December 24, his relative and former junior Narsimha Naidu wanted me to accept his proposal because they are having high political influence and can kidnap me or my son." Due to this, she did not dare reveal what had happened to her, except to her father and some friends.

She joined Vijay Kumar as his junior on June 23 last year and left the job on December 22 "because of the harassment". In the letter, she even recorded that "Vijay Kumar, Naidu and other former junior lawyers of Kumar will be responsible if anything happens to me or my son."