High Court Denies Bail for Lawyer Accused of Judicial Manipulation
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has denied bail to Vikas Kumar, a lawyer accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of conspiring to manipulate court proceedings in an alleged scheme to seize trust property valued in the crores. The case is officially titled Vikas Kumar v Central Bureau of Investigation.
Justice Manisha Batra presided over the hearing and determined that the allegations against Kumar suggest his involvement in a coordinated criminal effort to unlawfully acquire land owned by the Guru Nanak Vidhya Bhandar Trust, located in Delhi’s Daryaganj area. In her ruling issued on July 27, Justice Batra stated, “Being an advocate by profession, he is presumed to be well-aware about the consequences of the actions done by him, by manipulation of the legal proceedings, obviously with intent to influence judicial outcome to the detriment of the complainant-Trust.”
The judge further noted that Kumar, alongside other accused parties, allegedly fabricated documents related to the legitimate trust and attempted to validate these through manipulated legal procedures. The case originated from two FIRs filed by Mohali police between 2022 and 2023, later handed over to the CBI in October 2023 for further investigation.
One of the FIRs accuses individuals linked to a fraudulent trust of forcibly trying to seize approximately 32 bighas of land belonging to the complainant trust in Zirakpur. The other FIR involves allegations of using counterfeit documents to claim ownership of the property. The CBI claims that Kumar filed a civil lawsuit after forming a trust with a name similar to the complainant’s, seeking to gain control over the property.
Moreover, after their interim injunction plea was dismissed by a court in Dera Bassi, Kumar allegedly conspired to transfer the case to Bathinda, his regular place of practice, to facilitate judicial manipulation. The CBI also alleges that Kumar summoned bank officials and witnesses in unrelated cases to gather financial records of the complainant trust, coerced false testimonies, and pressured the trust. Additionally, he is accused of obtaining signatures on applications fraudulently, summoning records without litigants’ knowledge, and attempting to influence a key witness during the CBI’s probe.
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In his defense, Kumar argued for bail by stating his cooperation during the investigation and noted that he was not named in the initial FIRs. He claimed he was merely acting in a professional capacity representing one of the trusts, with no recoveries pending against him.
The CBI opposed the bail application, asserting that Kumar actively aided the co-defendants by changing the judicial venue from Dera Bassi to Bathinda, securing false witness statements, and using unrelated legal actions, including those under the Domestic Violence Act, to summon witnesses and acquire records linked to the complainant trust. They also highlighted potential risks of witness intimidation and evidence tampering should he be released.
The Court ultimately refused bail, citing the significant role attributed to Kumar in attempting to legitimize forged documents through adjudication forum manipulation, influencing witnesses, and altering judicial outcomes.
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The petitioner was represented by Senior Advocate Gaurav Chopra, along with advocates Rohit Kapoor and Vikram Vir Sharda. Special Public Prosecutor Ravi Kamal Gupta appeared for the CBI, while Senior Advocate PS Ahluwalia, assisted by advocate Keerat Dhillon, represented the complainant.
