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Client-killer lawyer nabbed

Client killer lawyer nabbed by Coimba­to­re police at Kovalam beach near Thiruvanathapuram.
Coimbatore: After three days of a dramatic hunt followed by a quick chase, ­the Coimba­to­re police nabbed the city advocate who has been on the run after allegedly killing his lady client, at Kovalam beach near Thiruvanathapuram in Kerala on Thursday. E.T. Rajavel and his wife Mohana, who is involved in a multi-crore financial fraud, would have been brought to Coimbatore on Thursday night and remanded to custody.
Special teams fanned out to Chennai, Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh and finally swooped on the couple at Kovalam beach. Just as the cops were closing in on him at Kovalam, the couple tried to flee in an autorickshaw, but the police team nabbed them. The couple’s four-year-old son was with them during the arrest.
The advocate Rajavel allegedly strangu­lat­ed­ his client Ammasai and cremated her body at the At­hu­palam crematorium on December 11, 2011 to save his wife from being arrested in a financial fraud. He had also tried to grab her property.
‘No lawyer for tainted advocate’
Coimbatore: “I want my mother’s killer to be punished,” says M. Sakunthala after fighting back her gushing tears. The daughter of Amma­sai,whow as murdered, appealed to advocates in Coimbatore not to appear on behalf of the tainted lawyer Rajavel, who allegedly strangulated her mother.
“It is a big shock to our family. We were of the belief that she was alive. But when we came to know that she was murdered by her own lawyer, we were shattered. Knowing that she was actually killed by Rajavel. We couldn’t come to terms that she is no more,” wails 29-year-old Sha­kun­thala, a labourer in Rathinapuri.
Shakunthala said that Ammasai used to visit a church in Rathinapuri frequently. The priest had referred her to advocate Rajavel to settle the property dispute with her estranged husband.
Next: Chronology of event: Killing of a lady client
Chronology of event: Killing of a lady client
11 December, 2011 : A 45 year old woman, Ammasai of Tatabad goes missing. Her daughter Sakunthala files a missing complaint.
11 December, 2011 : Rajavel and his associates allegedly strangled and cremated Ammasi’s body at the Athupalam crematorium.
30 November 2013: Police probe reveals that lawyer Rajavel was behind his client Ammasi’s murder to grab her propety.
The Coimbatore cops launched a massive search for a City lawyer
December 3, 2013: - The City police rush to Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and Bangalore to nab the lawyer E T Rajavel who murdered his client to save his wife.
December 4, 2013: Advocate E T Rajavel seeks anticipatory bail from High court.
December 5, 2013: Advocate E T Rajavel and his wife Mohana were arrested by the Kovalam police in Kerala.
Police suspect that E.T. Rajavel and his associates may be involved in yet another murder.
Next: Courting trouble
Courting trouble
V.Ashok Kumar
Coimbatore:
The misdeeds of advocate ET Rajavel, who faked the death of his own wife, is allegedly seen by advocates as a ‘blot’ in the legal fraternity.
“We felt pained as he misused this noble profession and brought a bad name to the entire legal community. At a time when the public have begun to raise doubts over the integrity of lawyers, it is unfortunate that ‘black sheep’ like him exists in our profession,” said M Vennila, president, Coimbatore Women Advocates Association.
Any advocate who violates the legal ethics is removed from the membership of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. “Removal from practice by the Bar Council will be done only after a detailed enquiry by a disciplinary committee of the council. However, any case of violation of ‘legal ethics’ will be taken up for consideration only when the accused lawyer is convicted,” said M. Loganathan, secretary, Coimbatore Bar Association (CBA).
Five lawyers from Coimbatore were suspended from practice by the Bar Council in October this year for allegedly conducting fake courts. They took money and even passed orders by holding courts in the name of ‘arbitration tri­b­u­­nal’.
Loganathan said this was the only incident in the recent past when disciplinary action was initiated against advocates.
“CBA also receives complaints from litigants. However, most of them are settled amicably through talks. Every day, we receive complaints pertaining to advocates charging high fees and giving false assurances to clients. While 30 per cent of the cases will be settled smoothly, in certain instances, we will refer them to Bar Council for further action,” he said.
A vigilance committee to probe into complaints of corruption by advocates was constituted here in 2011. However, CBA members said that the committee has become almost ‘defunct’.
Chronology of events: Killing of an AIDS victim
April 18, 2010 : An AIDS victim Manivel was strangled to death at a grinder manufacturing unit at Ganapathy.
April 25, 2010 : Police found a decomposed body at Thondamuthur, but could not establish the identity of the body.
5 May, 2010 : Manivel’s relatives file a missing complaint with the police.
27 October, 2010 : Manivel’s 26.5 cent land at Nanjundapuram sold to Muthamizh and registered at Sulur sub-registrar office
June 20, 2011 : Muthamizh resold the property to Mohana, wife of advocate E T Rajavel and the property was registered at Peelamedu.
November 2013 : Nearly three years after a HIV patient went missing from the city, the police arrested three persons on for allegedly murdering the 47-year-old man Manivel and selling off his Rs.3 crore worth land.
Police zero in on lawyer Rajavel, the brain behind Manivel’s murder. Investigations uncover yet another murder mystery.

( Source : dc )
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