Punjab & Haryana Bar Council Privilege Committee summons 16 advocates, two senior advocates, amidst bench hunting allegations

THE PRIVILEGE COMMITTEE of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, has issued notices to 16 advocates, including two senior advocates - Puneet Bali and Rakesh Nehra - in connection with allegations of bench hunting and forum shopping. 

The committee has also sought comments from senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi to fairly and comprehensively adjudicate the matter. While comments have been sought from Singhvi and Rohatgi, notice has not been issued to them.

The committee is of the prima facie view that there appears to be foul play on the part of certain advocates who appeared for Roop Bansal, a prominent real estate builder. 

“It appears these advocates may have manipulated procedural rules for convenience and gain,” the Privilege Committee stated in its order. 

The committee has asked the lawyers to appear before it on August 16.

On May 23, Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu withdrew a corruption case involving the real estate firm 'M3M Group' from Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu, even though he had reserved the order. 

The Chief Justice did so following the receipt of “oral and written complaints” to withdraw the matter from Justice Sindhu.

The Leaflet previously reported that the role of advocate JK Singla, a key reason the case was landed before Justice Sindhu, raised many unanswered questions. 

Singla, who subsequently did not make a single appearance in the matter, was possibly included on paper only to ensure that a different judge, Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul, recused herself from the case. His absence from the case raised serious concerns.

When the matter was listed before Chief Justice Nagu, the legal team of Roop Bansal sought an adjournment. 

The Chief Justice hinted at “bench shopping.” 

At one point, Chief Justice Nagu directed the petitioner’s team to summon Advocate JK Singla, who had earlier filed a fresh petition in the case. 

“Where is Mr. JK Singla? We will hear him only. Please ask him to come and argue the matter. Call Mr. JK Singla, whose power of attorney was filed just to get the case out of a particular bench. This is the kind of professional ethics you are showing… You are encouraging people to make no effort… You are virtually destroying the Bar,” Chief Justice Nagu observed.

The Leaflet previously reported that in mid-2023, Roop Bansal, a promoter of the M3M Group, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. 

The name of now-suspended Haryana Judicial Services officer Sudhir Parmar, then posted as a CBI Special Judge in Panchkula, also surfaced during the investigation for allegedly favoring Roop Bansal and his kin—owners of M3M—as well as Lalit Goyal, owner of another prominent real estate firm, IREO Group.