16 advocates in trouble for unethical measures; Bar council of Punjab and Haryana puts them on notice
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ August 10,2025
The Privilege Committee of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana (BCPH), Chandigarh, taking stern action against the complaints received by them, 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.
As per notice issued by BCPH , the matter has been placed before the Committee along with the relevant records in CRM-M-19843-2025 titled as Roop Bansal Vs. State of Haryana, including the order of the Hon’ble High Court and news published in the electronic and print media. The documents placed before us are prima facie pointing towards the attempt to manipulate the Bench Assignment process of the Hon’ble High Court. The sole objective of placing this matter, suo moto, before the Committee is to uphold the dignity of the legal profession, ensure the maintenance of legal ethics, and discharge the responsibilities entrusted under the law.
The committee has asked the lawyers to appear before it on August 16,2025
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 committee, chaired by Raj Kumar Chauhan, was constituted on August 4 by BCPH chairman Rakesh Gupta after members of the Bar council pointed out that some advocates of the Punjab and Haryana high court were resorting to bench hunting to secure “favourable orders” from a particular bench or avoiding to appear before another.
