HC takes suo motu cognisance of attacks, thefts targeting advocates; seeks police status report
Court action follows a representation by Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of a series of attacks and thefts targeting advocates, expressing concern over the safety of members of the legal fraternity and the apparent lack of effective police action in such cases.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry sought status reports from the Chandigarh Police and the Punjab Police, after being apprised of multiple incidents involving advocates as victims, where investigations have either remained incomplete or yielded little recovery.
The court action followed a representation by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (PHHCBA). In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the Bar Association’s secretary Gagandeep Jammu flagged a pattern of crimes against advocates and alleged investigative apathy, despite the seriousness of the offences and identification of suspects in several cases.
Drawing the court’s attention to three specific incidents, the Bar Association highlighted a murder and robbery involving the family of a former office-bearer. In the case of Krishan Kumar Goyal, Advocate and former Honorary Secretary of the Association, his wife was murdered and substantial quantities of gold, silver and cash were looted. Although the accused have been arrested, the Bar pointed out that a significant portion of the stolen property is yet to be recovered, raising concerns about the thoroughness and fairness of the probe.
The Bar also referred to a daylight theft at the residence of Jasmeet Singh Bhatia, Advocate and former Secretary of the Association. An FIR was registered by the Chandigarh Police on December 25, 2025, and the accused were identified with full particulars, yet no arrest or recovery has been made for nearly a month, the letter stated.
The third incident involved a theft at the Mohali residence of advocate Vishal Handa. Despite the passage of almost four months and identification of the accused, the Bar noted that neither arrest nor recovery has been effected by the Mohali police so far.
