Actor rape case survivor’s counsel complains to Kerala HC Chief Justice against judge

The counsel for the survivor in the actor rape case, T.B. Mini, has submitted a complaint to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court alleging that the Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Judge, who pronounced the verdict in the case, made derogatory remarks against her on Monday (January 12, 2026) and also against the survivor and prosecution witnesses.

“Sessions judge Honey M. Varghese made highly derogatory, false and contemptuous remarks about me in the open court, where media persons too were present. She alleged that I was present for less than 10 days during the trial, that I usually slept during the less than 30 minutes I spent there each time, and that I treated the court as a place of rest. These were published in the media,” Ms. Mini said.

“These contemptuous remarks were publicly made to tarnish my image and reputation before the public and to spoil my profession as a lawyer. This is a serious misconduct on her part and she has committed contempt of her own court. Both the Bar and the Bench are equally liable to keep the principles of contempt of court,” Ms. Mini added.

The alleged leakage of contents of the memory card, a crucial piece of evidence, resulted in the breach of privacy of the survivor. It was also illegally accessed and tampered with, she added.