Punjab and Haryana High Court: In a petition filed on behalf of petitioner, almost a month after his celestial departure, Manjari Nehru Kaul, J., observed that seemingly petitioner’s counsel had filed the present petition on behalf of his departed client complete with a posthumous power of attorney, bearing a signature from beyond the grave. The Court opined that it was as if petitioner was orchestrating the ultimate legal prank from beyond the grave, and if it wasn’t enough to raise a courtroom chuckle, there was also an affidavit bearing the signature of the departed petitioner. The Court also issued an explicit warning and stated that petitioner’s counsel should take this warning seriously and avoid getting involved in such “otherworldly activities” in the future lest he becomes entangled in a complex situation beyond the ordinary. The Court stated that the courtroom could still be a wild enough place without summoning spirits from beyond the grave and considering the unconditional and unqualified apology tendered by petitioner’s counsel, withdrew the present petition.
In previous hearing of the present case, respondent placed on record, petitioner’s death certificate. Petitioner’s counsel appeared before the Court and did not dispute the contents of the death certificate, which was placed on record by respondent. Petitioner submitted that he had been misled by ‘some person’ who approached him for filing the present petitioner and tendered an unqualified and unconditional apology in the said regard.
The Court observed that seemingly petitioner’s counsel had filed the present petition on behalf of his departed client complete with a posthumous power of attorney, bearing a signature from beyond the grave. The Court opined that it was as if petitioner was orchestrating the ultimate legal prank from beyond the grave, and if it wasn’t enough to raise a courtroom chuckle, there was also an affidavit bearing the signature of the departed petitioner.
The Court opined that undoubtedly, all this injected some much-needed entertainment into otherwise dull courtroom proceedings. The Court warned petitioner’s counsel to exercise a tad more caution in future legal escapades as it would not want to inadvertently summon anymore ghostly clients or find us entangled in a legal mess of supernatural proportions. The Court also issued an explicit warning and stated that petitioner’s counsel should take this take this warning seriously and avoid getting involved in such “otherworldly activities” in the future lest he becomes entangled in a complex situation beyond the ordinary. The Court after considering the petitioner’s counsel’s relative inexperience in the legal profession and opined that it would not want to see him squander his promising career on such otherworldly endeavours.
The Court stated that the courtroom could still be a wild enough place without summoning spirits from beyond the grave and considering the unconditional and unqualified apology tendered by petitioner’s counsel, withdrew the present petition.
[Manjit Singh v. State of Punjab, 2024 SCC OnLine P&H 2908, Order dated 02-05-2024]
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For the Petitioner: Vikramjit Singh, Advocate;
For the Respondent: Amit Rana, Sr. DAG, Punjab.
