Was the actor assault judgment leaked in advance? Advocate seeks probe
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links. Was the judgment in the Kerala actor assault case leaked days before Judge Honey Varghese pronounced it in open court? The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) has forwarded to the Chief Justice an anonymous letter they received on December 2, alleging that the judgment had been leaked. The judgment was delivered on December 8.The letter, signed by “Indian citizen”, said: “In this case, which began in 2018 and will conclude with a verdict on December 8, 2025, the 7th accused Charly Thomas, the 8th accused Gopalakrishnan alias Dileep, and the 9th accused Sanilkumar alias Mesthiri Sanil will be discharged, and only six accused will be convicted.”The letter then made several disparaging claims about the judge and questioned the fairness of the process.KHCAA president Yeshwanth Shenoy told TNM that the anonymous letter reached him through a registered post on October 6. “I sent it to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court on the morning of October 8,” he said.Shenoy said he does not know anything further about the letter and added that he had only fulfilled his duty to protect judicial integrity. When asked if he planned to follow up the matter, he said it was now for the Chief Justice to take forward.In his covering note to the Chief Justice, Shenoy wrote: “Irrespective of how the case is decided, the people named in this letter should be verified and an inquiry ought to be made into how such confidential matters can leak. This will have serious repercussions on the reputation of the judiciary and its integrity. I request you to forward the same to the vigilance registrar or any other agency to inquire whether it involves any of the persons named in the letter and how the confidentiality was breached.”
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
WAS the judgment in the Kerala actor assault case leaked days before Judge Honey Varghese pronounced it in open court?
The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) has forwarded to the Chief Justice an anonymous letter they received on December 2, alleging that the judgment had been leaked. The judgment was delivered on December 8.
The letter, signed by “Indian citizen”, said: “In this case, which began in 2018 and will conclude with a verdict on December 8, 2025, the 7th accused Charly Thomas, the 8th accused Gopalakrishnan alias Dileep, and the 9th accused Sanilkumar alias Mesthiri Sanil will be discharged, and only six accused will be convicted.”
The letter then made several disparaging claims about the judge and questioned the fairness of the process.
KHCAA president Yeshwanth Shenoy told TNM that the anonymous letter reached him through registered post on October 6. “I sent it to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court on the morning of October 8,” he said.
Shenoy said he does not know anything further about the letter and added that he had only fulfilled his duty to protect judicial integrity. When asked if he planned to follow up on the matter, he said it was now for the Chief Justice to take forward.
In his covering note to the Chief Justice, Shenoy wrote: “Irrespective of how the case is decided, the people named in this letter should be verified and an inquiry ought to be made into how such confidential matters can leak. This will have serious repercussions on the reputation of the judiciary and its integrity. I request you to forward the same to the vigilance registrar or any other agency to inquire whether it involves any of the persons named in the letter and how the confidentiality was breached.”
