As a 21-year-old law intern, Sonu Mansuri had been regularly visiting the Indore district court over the last five months to observe court proceedings and assist her seniors. But on January 28, she became the subject of a viral video, surrounded by a group of lawyers, who grabbed her collar, grilled her, searched her, and termed her a PFI agent.
The lawyers found over Rs 1 lakh in cash in her pockets, and lodged a police complaint alleging that she was taking funds from the prohibited Popular Front of India to get details of “sensitive” cases while impersonating a lawyer. Sonu was arrested the same day, and the media published reports on similar lines – most of them without her version.
An FIR 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. Sonu is in Indore central jail under judicial custody.
The possibility of bail is allegedly marred with its own set of problems, according to sources privy to the case, including Sonu’s family. But let’s first take a brief look at the allegations.
The cash wad
A student at the Dewas government law college, Sonu was interning under senior lawyer Noor Jahan Khan. One of Khan’s clients has told the police that the cash Sonu was carrying was given by him.
“I am a client of Noor Jahan. She was handling my case linked to a check bounce. She had told me to submit an amount of Rs 1,26,000 for stamp duty and other legal formalities. On January 28, I went to court to hand her the money, but she was not around and asked me to give it to her intern Sonu Mansuri,” Asif Ansari told Newslaundry. He has also given a statement to the MG Road police station indicating the same.
Sonu’s elder brother Iqbal Mansuri said she is “the only one in our family who has been this educated and is pursuing a good career”. “We just met her once after her arrest. She told us that she went to court on the instructions of her senior and collected the money from the client. We are not able to understand the allegations…the police also didn’t show us anything. She has been trapped.”
Impersonation and video recordings
“The basic allegation against her is that she is a fake lawyer. She has never claimed that she was a lawyer. Anyone who knows a little bit about law can understand that only lawyers wear neck bands. If she would’ve impersonated a lawyer, she would have come to court wearing the band but she didn’t. No one in Indore district court is ready to take her case. Lawyers are under pressure,” said a lawyer privy to the matter.
This story was originally published in newslaundry.com . Read the full story here