Ritika Singh Sisodiya / TNN
Lucknow: A Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Tuesday barred four advocates from entering any court premises in Lucknow district after taking cognisance of an alleged assault on a litigant and Delhi-based lawyers inside the district court complex and attempts to obstruct judicial proceedings.A special bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla restrained advocates Saurabh Kumar Verma, Harshit Pandey, Yash Pandey and Abhay Pratap Verma from entering court premises till the next hearing on Aug 24. The HC directed them to file affidavits disclosing their income tax returns for 10 years, details of movable and immovable assets owned by them and their family members, business interests and property transactions carried out over five years.The court ordered a confidential inquiry by the IB into activities of the advocates allegedly involved. The bench said that while most lawyers uphold the dignity of the profession, a few ‘black sheep’ masquerading as advocates must be dealt with strictly.After examining a report submitted by the district judge and reviewing CCTV footage from the court premises, the bench prima facie found that the four advocates were involved in the assault on litigant Mohammad Shakir. The court directed the DJ and police to identify all other advocates involved and place their details on record before the next hearing. Shakir claimed he had been threatened with death and assaulted for pursuing litigation.The court flagged a possible violation of Rule 22-A of the Bar Council of India Rules, observing that an advocate who represents a party in a property dispute and later purchases the same property may be acting improperly. The concerned advocate was asked to explain the transaction.The bench directed the DJ to send original records of the related civil suits to the HC in a sealed cover. Police were instructed to identify 10-20 unidentified male and female advocates allegedly involved.The state informed the court that Saurabh faces eight criminal cases in Lucknow. The bench expressed concern over how a person with multiple cases could continue as junior vice-president of the Central Bar Association.The HC directed the DGP and Lucknow police commissioner to file affidavits detailing criminal cases and FIRs against the identified advocates. Bar Council of India, UP Bar Council, Central Bar Association, IB, income tax department and Union ministries of home affairs and law & justice, were impleaded as parties. The SSP concerned was directed to provide adequate security to Shakir, a resident of Azamgarh.
