Supreme Court Grants Bail To Woman Accused Of Duping Builders By Impersonating As SC Lawyer

The Supreme Court granted bail to a nearly 60-year-old woman accused of cheating multiple persons by falsely projecting herself as a lawyer practising before the Supreme Court and collecting money from them on that representation.

A Bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan allowed the Special Leave Petition filed by Poonam Charandas Khanna, setting aside a Bombay High Court order that had refused her regular bail.

The appellant was arrested in connection with FIR No. 34 of 2020 registered at Kherwadi Police Station, Mumbai, for offences under Sections 420 and 406 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The prosecution case is that she misrepresented herself as a qualified advocate and duped several persons into paying large sums of money by assuring legal relief.

Khanna had been in judicial custody since January 29, 2024. Her bail plea was rejected by the Bombay High Court on December 8, 2025, prompting her to approach the Supreme Court.

Before the apex court, the appellant contended that she was an elderly woman who had already spent over two years in custody, while the trial was progressing slowly. It was submitted that only eight out of twelve witnesses had been examined and there was no clarity on when the trial would conclude. Emphasis was also placed on the fact that the alleged offences carried a maximum punishment of seven years.

Opposing the appeal, the State of Maharashtra and the victim argued that the appellant had deliberately impersonated a lawyer despite not being legally qualified and had cheated multiple victims by exploiting their trust.

After considering the rival submissions, the Bench held that a case for grant of bail was made out, particularly in view of the prolonged incarceration and the nature of the offences.

The Court directed that the appellant be produced before the trial court and released on bail on such conditions as may be imposed to ensure her presence during trial. It was also directed that she shall fully cooperate with the proceedings and shall not misuse the liberty granted. Any violation of the bail conditions would make her liable for cancellation of bail.

According to the prosecution, the informant Ashok Govindram Mohnani was a builder who was searching for a lawyer to represent him in two legal proceedings. He was introduced to the accused through a friend, after which she allegedly represented herself as a lawyer practising before the Supreme Court and assured him of legal representation.

It was alleged that she demanded a legal fee of Rs. 15 lakh, out of which Rs. 10 lakh was paid in advance.

The prosecution further alleged that the informant and other builders were suffering losses due to the non-availability of electricity for construction activities, as the Maharashtra State Electricity Board had not installed electric transformers in the area. When this issue was brought to the accused's notice, she allegedly assured them that she would initiate legal proceedings to secure installation of transformers.

For this purpose, the accused is stated to have demanded Rs. 3 crore, of which the builders allegedly agreed to pay Rs. 2.11 crore. A Memorandum of Understanding was entered into between the builders and the accused. Pursuant to this, Rs. 51 lakh was allegedly received by the accused's driver, followed by another payment of Rs. 20 lakh.

However, the prosecution claimed that no legal proceedings were initiated by the accused as stipulated under the MoU. Upon making inquiries, the informant allegedly discovered that the accused was not an advocate and had similarly deceived several other persons.

The appellant was represented by Prastut Mahesh Dalvi, Advocate-on-Record, along with Pranay Saraf and Vidhi Pankaj Thaker.

The State of Maharashtra was represented by Varad Kilor, Siddharth Dharmadhikari and Aaditya Aniruddha Pande. The victim was represented by Shrirang B. Varma, Shibu Devasia Olickal and K. Gireesh Kumar.

Case : Poonam Charandas Khanna v. State of Maharashtra SLP (Crl) No.21380/2025

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