Bench hunting case: Bar Council issues notices to 16 lawyers
The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has issued notices to 16 lawyers—including some senior advocates—for allegedly "bench hunting," or trying to get cases heard by judges they think will rule in their favor.
This all ties back to a high-profile corruption case involving Gurugram realtor Roop Bansal and former CBI judge Sudhir Parmar, where lawyers are accused of manipulating which judge would hear the case.
Lawyers have time till August 16 to respond
The Privilege Committee, set up on August 4, 2024, found early evidence that some lawyers worked together to game the system's rules. Advocate JK Singla is said to have led these efforts.
All 16 lawyers must respond by August 16, 2024, and even big names like Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi have been asked for input.
The Bar Council says it's taking legal ethics seriously as the case continues under Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul—especially after Chief Justice Sheel Nagu stepped away due to concerns about bench hunting.
The whole situation is raising tough questions about fairness in courtrooms and how much influence lawyers really have over outcomes.