In a stern reminder that shortcuts don’t fly in court, the Delhi High Court has come down heavily on an advocate who decided to march into litigation without even bothering to get his client’s signature.
A petition demanding removal of an allegedly illegal construction in the city was tossed out after it emerged that it bore only the signature of advocate Farhad Alam, and not the litigant. Justice Mini Pushkarna wasn’t amused—and she didn’t mince her words.
What began as a complaint filed before the Special Task Force turned murkier when the contact details listed weren’t of the supposed petitioner, but of the advocate himself. The STF portal’s data and the court filing matched—but not in the way one would hope. Both listed Alam’s credentials, not the complainant’s.
“This is not just procedural sloppiness,” the Court observed. “This is a serious misuse of the legal process.” Filing such petitions without a litigant’s signature, the judge emphasized, opens the door to motivated litigation dressed up as public interest.
Pointing to the growing trend of advocates singlehandedly lodging complaints about unauthorized construction and then pushing writs themselves, Justice Pushkarna labeled it a clear abuse of judicial machinery.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi informed the court that it was already taking action regarding the construction in question. With that, the Court dismissed the case and slapped a cost of ₹50,000 on both the petitioner and the lawyer—money that will go to the Delhi High Court Advocates Welfare Trust.
Next stop: compliance check. The matter returns on July 21 before the Joint Registrar.
The courtroom saw a lineup of legal firepower. While Alam represented the petitioner, the MCD was represented by Advocates Abhinav Singh and Somnath Shukla. The Delhi Development Authority was represented by Standing Counsel Prabhsahay Kaur with Kavya Shukla and Harshita Rai. Senior Panel Counsel Vinish Phoghat appeared for the Union of India.
