Supreme Court to hear if magistrate approval should be mandatory before summoning lawyers in probes. Move follows ED’s controversial summons to senior advocates in ESOP case.
A PIL in the Supreme Court urges recognition of consumers’ “right to know” about product quality and seller information. The plea demands transparency to protect buyers from fraud and unfair trade practices.
In the Religare ESOP case, the ED summoned Senior Advocate Pratap Venugopal over a legal opinion obtained by Care Health Insurance from Arvind Datar concerning ESOPs issued to ex-Religare chairperson Rashmi Saluja. Investigation continues.
The Madras High Court Advocates’ Association condemned the Enforcement Directorate’s notice to Senior Advocate Arvind Datar as an attack on legal independence. The summons, regarding Datar’s professional legal opinion, faced nationwide backlash from legal associations. Although the ED later withdrew the notice, concerns about undermining attorney-client confidentiality persist among lawyers across India.
