Today, On 27th September, The Supreme Court imposed a Rs.1 lakh fine on a lawyer in connection with a contempt plea. The advocate filed the plea against the Bar Council of India (BCI), accusing it of delays in handling complaints transferred from State Councils regarding lawyers’ conduct. The court found the plea lacked merit, leading to the penalty.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday criticized Advocate Charanjeet Singh Chanderpal for presenting weak arguments to request the recusal of certain lawyers handling complaints before the Bar Council of India (BCI).
A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh after reviewing his application.
The Court remarked,
“The present application seeking recusal … on the ground that some of them (lawyers who are examining complaints) are on the Bar Council of India Trust for the national law schools is absolutely scandalous and most frivolous,”
The fine ordered to be deposited in the Lawyers’ Welfare Fund within two weeks.
The case stemmed from a contempt petition filed by Advocate Charanjeet Singh Chanderpal against the Bar Council of India (BCI) for allegedly failing to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions from its December 2021 judgment in K Anjinappa vs KC Krishna Reddy & Anr.
In that ruling, the Supreme Court instructed the BCI, among other things, to resolve transferred complaints within one year.
Subsequently, in October 2022, the Court reiterated that the BCI must expedite the disposal of such cases, as well as complaints made by litigants against lawyers, in order to preserve discipline, uphold the integrity of the legal profession, and maintain public confidence in both the profession and the judiciary.
Advocate Anil Kumar represented the petitioner, Advocate Chanderpal, who also appeared on his own behalf.
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