Chief Justice Nagu flags ‘dangerous trend’ of filing vakalatnamas to shift cases from ‘particular Benches’

Chief Justice Nagu observed during a hearing, cautioning that specified practices threatened the integrity of tribunal processes and the Bar itself

Expressing superior interest implicit alleged tactics to unafraid favourable Benches, Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu connected Thursday termed the emerging “trend” of advocates filing powers of lawyer simply to person matters transferred distant from circumstantial judges arsenic “very dangerous.”

“This is simply a precise unsafe inclination that you each are developing. You record a power, gain money, and beryllium down successful your location and bask life. You don’t privation to work,” Chief Justice Nagu observed during a hearing, cautioning that specified practices threatened the integrity of tribunal processes and the Bar itself.

Chief Justice Nagu’s observations came portion dealing with a petition filed by M3M radical manager Roop Bansal. The lawsuit was primitively filed sometime successful January and listed for the archetypal clip earlier the Judge “holding the roster of matters pertaining to Prevention of Corruption Act qua the State of Haryana.”

The Judge recused himself connected January 14, pursuing which the substance was listed earlier different Bench successful accordance with the lasting instructions successful the “prevailing roster.” The lawsuit came up for proceeding connected February 13 earlier the different Bench, but was dismissed arsenic withdrawn pursuing a petition by the petitioner’s counsel.

The lawsuit successful manus was filed connected April 7 by the petitioner, who was represented by an advocator whose cases were not listed earlier the different Bench. Consequently, the lawsuit was placed earlier the Chief Justice connected the administrative side, who nominated the substance to the senior-most Judge “among the transgression azygous Benches.” It was from this Bench that the lawsuit was withdrawn by the Chief Justice, acting connected “oral and written complaints.”

After recusing himself from proceeding the matter, arsenic helium had dealt with it connected the administrative side, Chief Justice Nagu asked the elder advocator representing the petitioner whether helium had counseled the idiosyncratic “who had filed a powerfulness of lawyer conscionable to bring that lawsuit retired of a peculiar Bench.”

The Chief Justice warned that specified a practice, unless discouraged, could “develop a precise unsafe inclination that a idiosyncratic without immoderate effort files a powerfulness and starts earning money…. If it’s done lone to get the lawsuit retired of a peculiar Bench, that is immoral.”

Turning to the advocator concerned, Chief Justice Nagu pressed: “There are lasting instructions from definite judges astir your cases not being listed successful their book. How galore specified benches are there?” The counsel, successful response, maintained the instructions were issued regarding conscionable 1 Bench.

Referring to the lawsuit successful hand, the counsel said helium accepted the little successful bully religion arsenic portion of his regular transgression practice. “Because earlier accepting the little successful bully faith, I consulted the matter… On merit, I see that this is simply a bully case. But what they had successful their mind, I don’t know,” helium submitted.

Nonetheless, Chief Justice Nagu expressed dismay astatine the perceived erosion of nonrecreational standards successful the Bar. “It is precise unfortunate. The Bar volition spell down,” the tribunal remarked, stressing that it was the work of elder counsel to usher alternatively than simply appear.