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Monty Goyal v. Navrang Singh

Not available · 2026 INSC 94Decided 29 Jan 2026
Not available
Justice Vikram Nath · Justice Sandeep Mehta

Background

A client filed a misconduct complaint against his advocate over a costs dispute, then later swore an affidavit withdrawing the complaint and expressing satisfaction with the lawyer's work, yet the Bar Council of India's Disciplinary Committee still found the advocate guilty and fined him ₹1 lakh.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court set aside the finding, holding the Committee ignored the complainant's sworn withdrawal and rested its decision on unproven "bald allegations" with no evidence on oath and no chance for the advocate to cross-examine the complainant.

Lesson Learnt

A professional misconduct finding cannot stand on unproven allegations alone: natural justice requires evidence on oath and a chance to cross-examine, and adjudicators must not ignore a complainant's own sworn withdrawal.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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