Remember senior advocate G Salim, who shot into limelight by arguing on behalf of J Srinivas Rao, accused in the case of Kodi Kathi attack on YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport in October 2018?
The same lawyer also argued the case of Satish, who was arrested for allegedly hurling a pebble at Jagan during the 2024 assembly elections in Vijayawada. Salim got the bails for the accused in both the cases.
Now, the same lawyer has taken up the case of Emmadi Ravi Kumar, the promoter of film piracy websites iBomma, Bappam and 65 other websites, who was recently arrested by the Telangana police and is presently in judicial remand.
On Thursday, Salim announced that he is going defend Ravi’s case strictly “within the same framework of law under which he was arrested.”
He said Ravi might have been implicated by the police in the film piracy and other cybercrime cases, there is an unusual wave of support for Ravi from the common people, who is considering him as “digital Robin Hood” for making films freely accessible.
Salim confirmed that he had spoken to Ravi’s parents and agreed to represent him in court.
“As a lawyer, it is my duty to protect the rights of the accused. If the police want to be seen as heroes, then the villain must also have the courage to stand firm — and a daring, dashing lawyer by his side,” he remarked, drawing strong reactions online.
The advocate claimed he has been receiving messages praising him for taking up the case, with some supporters even suggesting they would celebrate him with a “milk bath,” similar to fan celebrations for film stars.
He, however, maintained that the case is straightforward and expressed confidence that Ravi would secure bail easily, noting that the charges currently fall under cybercrime provisions.
Interestingly, Salim acknowledged that Ravi had indeed committed an offence by distributing pirated content. Yet, he noted that public sentiment appears to be in Ravi’s favour, with many treating him as a hero — adding to the hype around the case.
He said a bail petition has already been filed and he would ensure that justice is done to him.