Adv Aloor, defender in notorious cases, dies at 62

Criminal lawyer Biju Antony Aloor, known for representing defendants in some of Kerala’s most controversial criminal trials, died on Wednesday at Lisie Hospital in Kochi. He was 62 and had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments. Aloor, a native of Thrissur, was unmarried and resided with his siblings in Erumapetty.
Aloor’s legal career spanned over two decades, marked by his involvement in high-profile and often polarising cases. He gained prominence for defending Govindachamy, the accused in the 2011 Soumya murder case, where a young woman was assaulted on a train and later died from her injuries. Despite widespread public outrage, Aloor took on the defence, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish intent to murder. The Supreme Court eventually commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, citing insufficient evidence for the murder charge.
In another widely followed case, Aloor represented Ameerul Islam, a migrant labourer convicted of the brutal rape and murder of law student Jisha in Perumbavoor in 2016. The crime, which involved 38 stab wounds, shocked the state and led to significant public outcry. Aloor’s defence strategy focused on procedural lapses and the accused’s socio-economic background. While the trial court sentenced Islam to life imprisonment, the Kerala High Court later imposed the death penalty, a decision currently under review by the Supreme Court.
Aloor also took on the defence of Jolly Joseph, the prime suspect in the Koodathayi cyanide killings, where six members of a family were allegedly poisoned over 14 years. His involvement drew criticism, but he maintained that every accused deserves a fair trial.
Beyond these cases, Aloor represented clients in the Elanthoor human sacrifice case and the Vismaya dowry death case, often stepping into the fray where public sentiment was overwhelmingly against the accused. His approach to legal defence was characterised by a willingness to challenge prevailing narratives and a commitment to the principle that legal representation is a right, not a privilege. Open URL