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The Supreme Court has ordered the release of Advocate Vikram Singh, who was arrested by the Haryana Police's Special Task Force (STF), Gurugram, for his alleged involvement in the criminal activities of his clients.
The arrest was reportedly based on disclosure statements made by accused persons in ongoing criminal cases. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai granted interim protection to Advocate Singh, directing that he be released from custody immediately after furnishing bail bonds of Rs 10,000. "Taking into consideration the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, we are inclined to grant interim protection to the petitioner. The petitioner is an Advocate by profession and, as such, he is not likely to flee away from the ends of justice", the Court noted. Advocate Singh, in his plea, contended that his arrest was based solely on the alleged disclosure statement of one Nitin Narula, also known as Appu, an accused in criminal cases. He further stated that he had previously been engaged as counsel by Narula's wife in an unrelated matter. "This professional association appears to have led the Haryana Police to cast suspicion upon him," the plea adds. "The entire suspicion against the Petitioner (Advocate Vikram Singh) thus arises from his purely professional association with the family of the accused Nitin Narula", the plea states. Advocate Singh has also alleged that officials of the Haryana Police coerced him into making statements against his clients, who are accused in several high-profile criminal cases. "The said coercive conduct continued unabated even though the Petitioner, being a practising Advocate, was protected under Section 132 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, which prohibits any disclosure of professional communications made in confidence by a client to his counsel", Advocate Singh argued. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, along with Advocates Navneet Panvar, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Kehshav Singh and Md. Imran Ahmad represented the petitioner, Advocate Vikram Singh. (ANI)
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