Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Association of Lawyers (IAL) has firmly urged the state government to take stringent action against the accused who dared to threaten Additional Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor M Salahuddin in the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court. IAL state president K P Jayachandran has said that his association will not tolerate such misbehavior against lawyers from any corner.  He has said that advocates, in addition to being professionals, are also officers of the courts and play a vital role in the administration of justice so it was the duty of the government to ensure their safety and dignity.

The Neyyattinkara Additional Sessions Court had yesterday sentenced all the seven accused in the Karaikka Mandapam Rafeeq murder case to life imprisonment.  Malik, the father-in-law of the fourth accused in the case, has issued a death threat to the public prosecutor who argued the case for the state in the Rafiq and the accused were awarded maximum possible punishment by the court.

The lawyers’ forum further stressed the need for proper protection to the advocates who appear for such delicate and serious cases so that they can help the courts to award appropriate sentences to the criminals and provide justice to the litigants.