Supreme Court to Deliver Ruling Friday on Probe Agencies Summoning Lawyers

The bench has signaled forthcoming safeguards to protect attorney–client privilege, reinforcing the profession’s independence.

Overview

A bench of Chief Justice B. R. Gavai with Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N. V. Anjaria will pronounce the verdict in the suo motu matter on Friday.
The Court reserved judgment on August 12 and indicated it would frame guidelines on when investigators may call advocates in connection with client matters.
Bar bodies urged that any summons to a lawyer require prior magistrate approval and that legal fees not be presumed proceeds of crime.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed special oversight for lawyers, stressing no protection for counsel alleged to assist criminal acts.
The case followed ED summons to senior advocates Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal, after which the agency issued a June 20 circular requiring director approval before summoning lawyers and citing Section 132 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.