The Allahabad High Court has directed the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh to establish guidelines instructing advocates not to wear their uniforms beyond the confines of the court premises.

The bench headed by Justices Sangeeta Chandra and Narendra Kumar Johari observed a growing trend of cases brought before the court. These cases involve allegations that advocates, while in uniform, are intervening in private property disputes and aiding the activities of the land mafia in wrongfully acquiring the properties of citizens.

The directives were issued within the context of a criminal writ petition initiated by Subhanshu Singh, a local lawyer. Singh asserted that in September, he had been subjected to an assault by fellow lawyers within the premises of the Civil Court in Lucknow.

In pursuit of an impartial inquiry into the incident, Singh informed the court that he had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) concerning the matter. Subsequently, he reported experiencing ongoing threats from certain private respondents, some of whom, as per police records, had a history of engaging in anti-social activities.

Taking note of Singh's plea, the court instructed the counsel representing the State Respondents, the Additional Government Advocate (AGA), to communicate the details of the writ petition to the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police in the relevant area. The AGA was further directed to seek instructions regarding the steps taken in response to Singh's filed First Information Report (FIR).

Furthermore, the court instructed the Senior Registrar of the High Court to dispatch a copy of the writ petition to the District Judge in Lucknow. This directive aimed to elicit comments on the actions taken in response to Singh's communication dated September 25, 2023. In that letter, Singh had requested the preservation of C.C.T.V. footage from the court area where the reported incident of assault against him took place.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on November 28, 2023.

CaseTitle: Subhansu Singh v. State of UP and Others