Man Impersonating As A Lawyer Nabbed By Allahabad HC; Registrar General To Conduct In-Depth Inquiry [Read Order]

Drama ensued at the Allahabad High Court today as it discovered that a man had been impersonating as another lawyer and filing cases before it.

During the hearing of an appeal filed before a Bench comprising Justice Vipin Sinha and Justice Ifaqat Ali Khan, when ‘Advocate’ Jitendra Kumar Singh stood up to argue before the court, little did he know that his cover was about to be blown—another counsel soon stood up, claiming that he was the real Advocate Jitendra Kumar Singh.

Determined to get to the root of the matter, the Court then posed questions to the alleged imposter, confronting him with questions on the Advocate Roll no. printed on the memo of Appeal. According to the Court’s order, he apparently struggled to formulate an answer to such questions.

On further enquiry, he told the court that he did not have an Advocate Roll no, because his application was rejected as he did not have a permanent address. He then submitted an I.D. card, which had his enrolment number printed on it. The card was taken on record by the court.

At this point, the actual Advocate Jitendra Kumar Singh alleged that the man impersonating him had in fact filed around nine to ten cases under his name, as he used to receive messages regarding the same from the Registry. In view of such allegations, the Court directed the Registrar General as well as the Registrar Protocol of the Court to appear before it.

The Registrar General was then directed to conduct an “in-depth enquiry” into the allegations, with the Court ordering, “The Registrar General of this Court is given full liberty to initiate in depth enquiry of Jitendra Kumar Singh, the lawyer who has signed the Criminal Misc. Application U/S 372 Cr.P.C. (Leave to Appeal) No. 324 of 2018 who is present before this Court. It is also to be looked into/enquired as to how and under what circumstances the Vakalatnama that has been annexed with the memo of appeal has been signed by Jitendra Kumar Singh having Advocate Roll No. A/J -0184/2012.”

The Registrar was directed to submit a report in a sealed cover before the Court after conducting an enquiry within 15 days.

Further, noting that the man had been filing several cases earlier, he was asked to take off his advocate band and gown before the Court, and was restrained from practicing before any court of law until further orders. The matter was directed to be listed on 14 September.

Furthermore, the entire record of the case, including the memo of appeal, was ordered to be kept in a sealed cover in the custody of the Registrar General of the Court, with a direction that it will not be opened by anybody without the Registrar’s permission.

The Court directed the police personnel present in the court to escort the impersonator to the Registrar’s office, where a preliminary enquiry was to take place. It ordered, “In view of the facts and circumstance, the person who has singed the appeal and vakalatnama as Sri Jitendra Kumar Singh is taken into custody by the police personnel who are present in the Court and he will be escorted from the premises of this Court to the office of the Registrar General of this Court. 

Thereafter the Registrar General will conduct a preliminary enquiry or to put some questions and thereafter the person shall not be detained and he will be set at liberty by the Registrar General of this Court forthwith. The 'person concerned' shall cooperate with the Registrar General of this Court, in the enquiry.”

The Court finally directed the Registrar to circulate a copy of the order to all concerned courts to ensure that the order is being complied with. “…in case it is found that the counsel is flouting the aforesaid direction, the Court will be compelled to proceed further in the matter in accordance with law,” it warned.