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The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, on December 2, 2023, ordered strict action against lawyers involved in property dealings instead of practicing law. Following this directive, the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh decided to form a committee to review a police report listing 112 lawyers accused of land-grabbing and issuing threats. 

Police report

Lucknow’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Upendra Agarwal, submitted a report to the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh. The report named 112 lawyers based on 149 complaints received by his office. Of these complaints, 92 were related to illegal land possession and 57 involved issuing threats. A special cell at the JCP’s office is handling these complaints. The JCP recommended the cancellation of licenses for these lawyers.

Prashant Singh "Atal," co-chairman of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, stated that their committee would verify the police report to ensure the charges are genuine. He emphasized that no lawyer would be harassed without proper verification. If the charges are confirmed, action will be taken against the accused lawyers.

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Background of Court's involvement

This move follows the high court's serious stance on complaints about lawyers engaging in property dealings. A division bench, including Justice Sangeeta Chandra and Justice NK Johari, directed the state government to take firm action against such lawyers. The court also requested the Bar Council of India to propose measures to maintain the legal profession's dignity.

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The court's order stemmed from 11 writ petitions, including one filed by local lawyer Prashant Singh Gaur in 2010, seeking action against lawyers involved in property dealings and facing criminal charges. During the hearing, it was revealed that a bench led by Justice Uma Nath Singh (now retired) had previously directed various agencies, including the CBI, STF, CB-CID, and local police, to investigate these cases.

The high court instructed these agencies, the district judge, and the commissioner of police to submit status reports on their investigations into these lawyers.