‘Even murderers get lawyers’: Law intern jailed in MP ‘can’t get a lawyer’ for bail says Sahira, the elder sister of Sonu Mansuri.
Sonu Mansuri was called an PFI spy and arrested last month on the basis of a complaint by lawyers linked to Hindutva outfits.
“Whenever I go to meet her in jail, she asks if I have arranged a lawyer for her bail…she keeps crying and is concerned whether she will even be able to appear for her upcoming exams…even murderers get lawyers to fight their case but my little sister is languishing in jail because no lawyer is ready to take her case,” said Sahira, the elder sister of Sonu Mansuri, who was arrested last month on the basis of a complaint by lawyers linked to Hindutva outfits.
What the case was about
A 21-year-old law intern and student of Dewas government law college, Mansuri is in Indore central jail under judicial custody after she was labeled a PFI agent and booked for impersonating a lawyer, on the basis of a complaint filed by lawyers linked to Hindutva groups.
The complaint was filed under IPC sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) at the MG Road police station.
Newslaundry had revealed how a section of the media propagated the claim by right-wing lawyers that she took cash for gathering information about communally charged cases for PFI – an assertion contested by a client of Noor Jahan, the lawyer Mansuri was interning under.
The client, Asif Ansari, told the police that the cash these lawyers recovered from her was actually given by him as legal fees for a cheque bounce case. However, while branding Mansuri a PFI agent, a section of the media did not even bother to seek her or her family’s for verification of the facts.
The complainants had also alleged that Mansuri was recording a video of court proceedings but sources in the bar association told Newslaundry that no such recording was found in her phone and it was only a judge’s prerogative to initiate proceedings if video recordings could merit legal action.
The case against Mansuri, Newslaundry found, was only ostensibly linked to anger among a section of the lawyers against a Supreme Court advocate, who they assumed was linked to Mansuri.
Mansuri had been regularly visiting the Indore district court over the last five months to observe court proceedings and was mistakenly linked to Supreme Court lawyer Ehtesham Hashmi – upsetting Hindutva activists for his legal support in several sensitive cases. Hashmi had last year secured bail for a bangle seller who was thrashed by Hindutva activists for allegedly hiding his Muslim identity. That case had courted controversy with even Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra alleging that the man had Pakistan links on social media.
And on the day Mansuri was accused of spying for PFI, she had followed the Supreme Court lawyer outside the court, after a hearing in a case against a Bajrang Dal leader. During the trial, Hashmi had been threatened by these lawyers on the court’s premises.
A netizen shares a thread about Sonu Mansuri
This clip is from MP District Court. The girl is Sonu Mansuri a 21 yr old Law Intern. For the last 5 months, she was visiting the courts to observe proceedings & Assist her Senior.
Please stay with me friends, it’s been 2 months since she is in Jail.
She is a student of the Govt. Law College Dewas interning under Sr. Adv Noor Jahan Khan. 28th Jan she was surrounded by Lawyers linked to Hindutva Group, who grabbed her collar, searched her & found 1 Lakh in her pockets, and filed a complaint against her terming PFI Agent. 🙏 2/
The police arrested her the same day. A client of the Sr Adv Noor Jahan Asif Ansari told Newslaundry this cash he gave to Sonu Mansuri as directed by Noor Jahan to submit for Stamp duty & other legal formalities.
News channels played on set narratives.
Stay here frndz. 3/
She is accused of recording the video proceedings. Even if it is true It was the Court that is the only authority to take action. Btw according to CJI Chandrachud’s recording of proceedings is not a big deal.
The sad part even NDTV played what fixed without investigation. 4/
It was widely played on channels as her fake lawyer. The truth is she never claimed that she is an Advocate. An Adv. ties a band around neck. She didn’t wear that neckband. Also a Sr. Lawyer told to newslaundry no video recording found on her phone.
Sonu’s Brothr Iqbal alleged lawyers afraid to appear for her Bail plea in Court. A team of Delhi-based Lawyers who went to Indore to bail Sonu out were allegedly threatened & returned. On Monday Court cancelled her bail plea. 6/
Even a murderer gets Lawyer to fight for him/her. Few Hindutva outfits linked Lawyers surrounded her, linked her to PFI and channels, papers played 1 side narrative without investigation because she Muslim?
I Conclude Friends.
Im a Hindu by Birth & I deny such Hindutva 7/” (sic)
This clip is from MP District Court. The girl is Sonu Mansuri a 21 yr old Law Intern. For the last 5 months, she was visiting the courts to observe proceedings & Assist her Senior.
Please stay with me friends, it's been 2 months since she is in Jail. Complete the thread. 🙏 1/ pic.twitter.com/QdU10AA4BS
— RAHUL (@RahulCh47540438) March 1, 2023
