Chandigarh, Aug 10: The privilege committee of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana (BCPH) has issued notices to 16 lawyers of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, including two senior advocates, over alleged “bench hunting” in a corruption case involving Gurugram-based real estate developer Roop Bansal and former special CBI court judge Sudhir Parmar.
The committee, chaired by Raj Kumar Chauhan and formed on August 4 by BCPH chairman Rakesh Gupta, is also seeking statements from senior Congress leader and Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, saying their responses are necessary for a “fair and comprehensive adjudication.”
Bench hunting, also called forum shopping, refers to attempts to have a case heard by a specific judge or bench to secure a favourable outcome.
After reviewing case records, the panel said there appeared to be “foul play” by some lawyers representing Bansal. “It is painful and disturbing for the committee to discuss here how tactfully, systematically, and in an organised manner, some advocates made efforts to hunt the bench,” it noted. The committee named advocate J.K. Singla as the alleged orchestrator but added, “It is highly unbelievable this can be done singularly… there might be some big ingenious-minded advocates behind the curtains.”
The 16 advocates served notices through the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association include J.K. Singla, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Aditya Aggarwal, Gagandeep Singh, Anmol Chandan, Baljeet Beniwal, Harsh Sharma, Sauhard Singh, Rupender Singh, Ankit Yadav, Ashim Singla, Aakash Sharma, Bindu, APS Shergil, and senior advocates Rakesh Nehra and Puneet Bali. They have until August 16 to respond.
The proceedings arise from a petition filed by Bansal in the high court seeking to quash an April 2023 FIR by the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau against himself, Parmar, and others under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC for alleged bribery, misconduct, and conspiracy. Parmar, then special CBI judge, Panchkula, was accused of showing undue favour to Bansal and other accused in cases before his court.
In May, Chief Justice Sheel Nagu withdrew the matter from another judge after complaints, heard it himself briefly, and in open court raised the possibility of “bench hunting” before later recusing from the case. It is now before Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul.
The committee stressed that “legal ethics are not optional… they are sacred,” adding that upholding the dignity of the profession requires “moral courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to truth.”
