The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (July 1) granted interim protection to an advocate accused of threatening and intimidating an Intelligence Officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Justice C.S. Dias passed the order in the petition seeking to quash the FIR.

"The Investigating Officer...is directed not to take any coercive proceedings as against the petitioner till 03.07.2026," the Court ordered.

The case will be taken up again tomorrow (July 3).

According to the plea, a crime was registered by the Ernakulam Town Police Station alleging commission of offences under Sections 351(2) [Criminal intimidation] and 224 [Threat of injury to public servant] of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on the officer's private complaint.

The prosecution allegation is that the petitioner, a practicing advocate, threatened the officer at the premises of the CBI Special Court in Ernakulam with future consequences in connection with the legal proceedings against the petitioner's client. It is further alleged that the threat was to prevent the officer from discharging his official duties.

The Petitioner-Advocate claims that the allegations are totally false and that the FIR does not disclose any factual particulars constituting the ingredients of the offences alleged. Moreover, the case has been initiated as a counter blast for advising his client to disclose the alleged custodial violence suffered to the Special Court, the plea said.

The plea further states that the petitioner received a phone call yesterday from the police asking him to appear and furnish an explanation regarding the crime. The plea also claims that the NCB officer has threatened to implicate him in a narcotics case. Moreover, the officer had verbally abused the petitioner and threatened him, which was witnessed by several lawyers, it is stated.

The petitioner has thus prayed for quashing the criminal case registered against him.

He has stated that “criminal law cannot be permitted to be employed as an instrument of vengeance against an Advocate for discharging his professional duties.”

The plea is moved by Advocate P.T. Sheejish.

Case No: Crl.M.C. No. 5436 of 2026

Case Title: Yoosuf Safwan v. State of Kerala and Ors.

Click to Read/Download Interim Order