The Supreme Court upheld a 3-year suspension of advocate Manoj Kumar Sharma for making scandalous allegations against Priyanka Bansal. The Court also imposed Rs 1 lakh costs and ordered recovery through attachment of his properties.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has recently dismissed a plea filed by advocate Manoj Kumar Sharma, who had challenged his suspension from legal practice.
Sharma was earlier found guilty of professional misconduct by the Bar Council of India (BCI) in December 2023, which had suspended his licence to practice law for three years.
The top court has not only upheld this suspension but has also imposed additional costs of Rs 1 lakh on him.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi observed that Sharma had crossed all limits by repeatedly making scandalous and baseless allegations against complainant Priyanka Bansal.
According to the Court, such behaviour could not be tolerated.
The judges said,
“Having regard to the serious misconduct carried out by the appellant-advocate, who appears to be an obstinate character in making scandalous allegations against the respondent-complainant, we do not want to take any lenient view,”
The Supreme Court, therefore, dismissed Sharma’s appeal and directed that the compensation of Rs 1 lakh must be paid to Bansal.
To ensure recovery, the Court ordered the District Collector of Agra to attach Sharma’s properties and recover the amount within three months.
The Court also issued strict directions to the Bar Council of India, making it clear that Sharma’s licence could not be renewed without the Court’s prior permission.
The order noted,
“It is further directed that after the appellant undergoes the sentence already awarded to him, a Report in that regard shall be supplied to the Secretary General of this Court,”
The top court was dealing with an appeal filed by Sharma against the December 2023 BCI decision which had found him guilty of professional misconduct and imposed a three-year suspension.
The Supreme Court agreed with the BCI’s findings, saying Sharma’s attitude and conduct left no scope for mercy.
In this case, Sharma was represented by Senior Advocate I.M. Quddusi along with advocates Jabar Singh, Kanti Tiwari, Jazib Siddiqui, Sameer Siddiqui, Vaibhav Sharma, and V Maheshwari & Co.
On the other side, the respondent Priyanka Bansal was represented by advocates Akshay Kumar, Mrgank Kumar, Apurva Singhal, Ajeet Yadav, and Anil Kumar.
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The ruling is seen as a strong reminder by the Supreme Court that advocates must maintain professional ethics and dignity in the legal profession.
The Court made it clear that scandalous allegations, harassment, or character attacks by lawyers against complainants will invite strict punishment, including suspension from practice and financial penalties.
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