Supreme Court Orders Release Of Advocate Arrested By Haryana Police

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (November 12) ordered the release of Advocate Vikram Singh, who was arrested by the Haryana Police in connection with a murder case.

The bench comprising Chief Justice of BR Gavai, Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria passed the interim order while issuing notice to the Police on a writ petition filed by Singh challenging his arrest and remand in the case.

The bench directed that Singh be released forthwith on a bail bond of Rs 10,000. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, for the petitioner, submitted that the police were pressuring the advocate to reveal the details of the clients. He also contended that the arrest was illegal as no written grounds were furnished as mandated by the recent judgment in Mihir Shah v. State of Maharashtra.

"In that view of the matter, we are inclined to grant interim protection. In any case, the petitioner is an advocate by profession and as such not likely to flee away from justice. As an ad-interim order, we direct the respondent to forthwith release the petitioner," the bench observed in the order.

The Court directed the Registrar (Judicial) to communicate the order to the Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, immediately.

Last week, the bar associations of the Delhi District Courts had held protests against the arrest of the lawyer.

Singh was arrested by the Gurugram Special Task Force on October 31 and was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Judicial Magistrate, Faridabad, on November 1.

The FIR is registered in relation to the murder of one Suraj Bhan, who was allegedly shot dead by the gang of Kapil Sangwan @ Nandu. Vikram Singh's client Jyoti Prakash @ Babu was arrested in the case on March 16, 2024.

According to the petition, Singh had filed several applications in court alleging that his client was being ill-treated in police custody.

Singh stated in the petition that the Investigating Officer had issued him notices under Section 41A of the CrPC, demanding that he appear before the police and disclose information regarding his clients, including Kapil Sangwan. He alleged that when he visited the police station on October 31 in response to such a notice, he was arrested without justification.

In his Article 32 petition, Singh has described his arrest as an “exceptional case” warranting the Supreme Court's intervention, asserting that it represents a direct assault on the independence of the Bar.

“The manner of arrest, following a nineteen-month silence after FIR registration when all other accused stand released on bail, reveals a calculated attempt to intimidate and punish a member of the Bar for fearless representation of his clients,” the petition states.

It further alleges that the coercive action was undertaken in defiance of constitutional safeguards, sending “a chilling message to the legal fraternity” and undermining the rule of law.

The plea emphasises that it is a settled principle of law that an advocate cannot be compelled to disclose client-related information or be subjected to coercive action for discharging professional duties. Doing so, the petition argues, “strikes at the very root of the rule of law and the right to legal representation.”

Reference is also placed on the recent judgment of the Supreme Court directing the police officers not to summon advocates to get clients' details.

The petition was drafted by Bhanu Pratap Singh, Kehshav Singh, Md. Imran Ahmad Advocates. It was filed through Arjun Singh Bhati.

Case Details : VIKRAM SINGH Versus STATE OF HARYANA AND ORS.| W.P.(Crl.) No. 471/2025

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