KOCHI: At the Kerala Law Academy in the state capital from 2001 to ‘06, they were active in two different student wings and spearheaded many agitations. 15 years later, Bineesh Kodiyeri and Shone George are forging an alliance — to float a law firm. The partnership between Bineesh and Shone — sons of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and P C George, respectively — happens at a time when the senior leader has returned as the CPM state secretary and George’s Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) is looking for a new political platform.
Both Bineesh and Shone say their association should not be linked to their or their fathers’ political leanings. There is also a third partner — Ninu Mohandas, son of former state election commissioner N Mohandas. Ninu was an area secretary of SFI and a classmate of Bineesh and Shone. The law firm will be opened in the Kerala High Court Advocates Association chamber complex in Kochi on Sunday.
Bineesh told The New Indian Express that it was a dream-come-true moment. “I started practising as a junior to leading criminal lawyer and former advocate general late M K Damodaran. However, I could not continue as I moved to Dubai. It is a dream-come-true moment as we’ve decided to open a joint firm. We believe it’s the right time to open a legal firm,” said Bineesh.
The firm will focus on criminal and corporate matters. Bineesh, who was in a Bengaluru jail after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in a money laundering case, got bail recently. Shone, who is also a member of the Kottayam district panchayat, said: “I got acquainted with Bineesh during our pre-degree days at Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram. Then we were together for five years during our LLB course,” he said. Back then, Shone was the state functionary of Kerala Students Congress while Bineesh was an SFI leader.
Shone is currently practising in the Pala and Erattupetta courts. Bineesh said his aim was to provide assistance to the deserving. “In many criminal cases, innocent people are sent to jail. Then they are branded as criminals in public. I wish to provide the required legal assistance and help them return to their normal lives,” he said. About the future, Bineesh said he will associate with a law firm in Thiruvananthapuram three days a week. Rest of the days, he will be at the Kochi office. “It is easy for us to go forward in unison as we were classmates,” said Ninu, who currently practises at the HC.