The judge made controversial remarks about the dressing of a sexual assault victim.
Kochi:
Kozhikode District and Sessions Judge S Krishnakumar, who made controversial remarks in his orders while granting bail to an accused in two sexual assault cases, has been transferred as the presiding officer of the labor court in Kollam.
According to the transfer order issued by the Kerala High Court, Murali Krishna S, District and Sessions Judge, Manjeri will be the new District and Sessions Judge of Kozhikode.
In the judiciary-transfer and appointment order of district and sessions judges issued by the High Court late on Tuesday night, two other judges have also been transferred as part of their regular administrative matters.
Judge Krishnakumar’s comments about survivors in two of his orders on anticipatory bail petitions by ‘Civic’ Chandran, who is also a writer and social activist, accused in two sexual assault cases, had sparked a nationwide controversy.
The Kerala government has moved the High Court seeking quashing of the sessions court’s orders granting bail to ‘civic’ Chandran in sexual harassment cases.
Opposing the Sessions Court’s order granting bail to Mr. Chandran in a case of sexually abusing a Dalit woman, the state government has argued that the trial court’s decision is “ridden with illegality and reveals errors” in its intervention. is required.
While granting bail to Mr Chandran in the case, Judge Krishnakumar in his order on 2 August held that the accused is a reformist, and is against the caste system and it is highly unbelievable that he would touch the victim’s body knowing full well. That he belongs to Scheduled Caste (SC).
The judge had also made controversial remarks about the victim’s dress while granting bail to Chandran in a bail plea filed by Chandran in another sexual assault case against him.
In its August 12 order, the court had said that the photograph of the complainant produced by the accused along with the bail application shows that she is “herself wearing such clothes which are sexually provocative and it is impossible to believe that. A person above the age of 74 years and a physically challenged person can forcefully place the complainant on his lap and sexually press on her breasts.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)