The refusal of relief by the Supreme Court to former Kerala minister Antony Raju has brought back into focus an uncomfortable truth: brilliance in advocacy cannot be allowed to blur the line between legal ingenuity and outright fraud. The court’s decision to let his conviction stand, even while suspending the sentence earlier, underscores that the justice system may bend under pressure but must not be made to break.

Folklore of courtroom cunning

There is an old, apocryphal tale from Kerala about the legendary lawyer, Malloor Govinda Pillai. Defending a man accused of murder, he allegedly switched the bullet produced in court with another during the hearing. When the altered bullet failed to match the accused’s pistol, the benefit of doubt followed and so did........

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