High Court Orders Inquiry into Alleged Legal Misconduct
The Delhi High Court has recently mandated the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) to conduct an investigation into two lawyers accused of manipulating court proceedings for extortion purposes. These legal practitioners are alleged to have exploited the judicial process to procure court orders for the demolition of properties, subsequently approaching the property owners for financial gain.
Justice Mini Pushkarna brought attention to this matter following claims by Narayan Kumar Kashyap that his signatures were forged on two contempt of court petitions. This allegation was substantiated by a police report submitted to the Court. “The examination of the police report clearly indicates a collusion among various individuals to misuse the court’s process by obtaining demolition orders and then extorting money from the property owners,” the Court observed.
Kashyap, who previously led the NGO Universal Human Rights Foundation, informed the police that lawyers had approached him to support a public interest litigation (PIL) against unauthorized construction. He identified Naresh Chauhan, his son Prashant Chauhan, and advocate SK Shukla as having contacted him four to five years ago to pursue the PIL, which involved a dispute with Sushil Kumar Chauhan, whom Kashyap had never met.
Kashyap admitted to signing documents presented by Prashant Chauhan “in good faith,” intending to assist without reviewing any settlement terms. He further stated that he no longer heads the NGO and is unaware of ongoing proceedings related to the PIL. Despite this, two contempt of court petitions with his alleged signature were filed, which Kashyap claims were forged. These revelations were brought to light through the police’s inquiry report, filed as per the Court’s earlier instructions.
Additionally, the police inquiry highlighted a complaint from Sushil Kumar Chauhan against the same set of lawyers, claiming they leveraged the PIL and subsequent legal actions to extort money from him. In response, Justice Pushkarna, in her judgment on July 21, denounced the situation as “a shocking state of affairs.” “The Court has uncovered deeply disturbing facts indicating a scam where individuals file petitions solely to extort money from property owners with unauthorized constructions,” the Court remarked.
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Subsequently, the Court referred advocates SK Shukla and Prashant Chauhan to the Bar Council of Delhi for an inquiry into their conduct. Additionally, the Court directed the police to file a First Information Report (FIR) regarding this matter.
This incident is not isolated. Last year, the Court imposed a ₹10 lakhs fine on a litigant found to be filing cases alleging unauthorized construction to extort money, with the involved lawyer’s conduct also referred to the BCD.
