Bar Council Of Punjab & Haryana Suspends License Of High Court Bar Association President

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana today suspended the licence of High Court Bar Association Advocate Vikas Malik and barred him from practising before any court till a final decision is made on the complaints against him.

The decision was taken by the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Council headed by Chairman Karanjit Singh and comprising Member Rajat Gautam and Co-opted Member Ravish Kaushik, after it was said that Malik had allegedly taken away the hard disk of CCTV cameras installed at the premises of Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association.

Malik had recently handed over the charge of HCBA President to Vice President Jasdev Singh Brar after the High Court division bench headed by Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia had taken note of the recent FIR registered against Malik for allegedly assaulting a lawyer.

The Bar Council today suspended Malik's licence as it was told that the DVR/Hard-Disk of CCTV cameras was taken away by him to destroy the evidence against him in the FIR.

“In the light of above mentioned compelling circumstances, we deem it appropriate that his licence should be suspended till the final decision of the present complaint so that apprehension of destruction of the evidence and influence of witnesses can be avoided,” the Disciplinary Committee said in the order.

The Committee said Malik has time and again interfered with the administration of justice and brought a stigma to the noble and prestigious post of Bar Association President.

Pertinently, the High Court recently directed the Bar Council to look into the sexual harassment allegations against Malik

"It has been brought to our notice that various complaints of sexual harassment of lady Advocates and lady employees of the Bar Association have been received against respondent No.2. (Vikas Malik) Resultantly, the office of the Chief Justice, which is in receipt of these complaints, is directed to supply copies of the said complaints to the Bar Council to look into these allegations also and to proceed accordingly. Being the Ist Bench, it is the bounden duty of this Court to protect the prestige of this Institution, which apparently has been lowered by respondent No.2, who still has not come forward to put in appearance even today, though well aware that the proceedings are pending before this Court," the division bench had ordered.

The order had been passed in a PIL filed by advocates of Punjab & Haryana High Court, alleging that Malik and the Secretary of High Court Bar Association, Swaran Singh Tiwana have misused and embezzled the funds of the Association.