Kerala advocate suspended after physically assaulting junior woman lawyer

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Kerala) : In a shocking case of workplace violence, a senior lawyer in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Bailin Das, has been temporarily suspended from the Vanchiyoor Bar Association following a brutal physical assault on junior woman advocate Shamili Justine.

The incident occurred around 12:30 PM on Tuesday at Bailin’s office in the Maharani Building, Vanchiyoor.

Shamili, a young advocate practising at the Thiruvananthapuram district court in Vanchiyoor, sustained serious facial and neck injuries after being repeatedly struck by her senior. Though doctors confirmed there were no fractures, Shamili suffered severe internal injuries and is currently under treatment.

According to Shamili’s complaint, she had worked under Bailin Das for several years before being terminated due to an internal office issue. After that, Bailin reinstated Shamili. Later on Tuesday, in another incident, she came to his office seeking personal clarification.

However, she alleges that Bailin suddenly shouted at her, physically assaulted her, and continued hitting her even after she fell to the ground.

“I don’t properly remember what happened then,” Shamili said, revealing that no one at the scene intervened.

Following her complaint, the Vanchiyoor Police registered an FIR and booked Bailin Das under multiple non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 126(2) for wrongful restraint, 74 for assault or use of criminal force with the intent to outrage modesty, and 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt.

According to police sources, the accused advocate absconded following the incident and is currently untraceable.

Initially hesitant, the Vanchiyoor Bar Association later took action by suspending Bailin Das and reporting the matter to the police. The Association has also directed him to submit a detailed report to the Bar Council regarding the incident.

Bar Association officials condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the victim. They assured full support to Shamili in her pursuit of justice. (ANI)