Bombay High Court: Appearing Without Vakalatnama is Serious Misconduct, Refers Lawyer to Bar Council

The Bombay High Court held that an advocate appearing in court without proper authority or vakalatnama amounts to serious professional misconduct.

The Court found that the lawyer had represented multiple parties without formal authorization and further aggravated the situation by making false statements and relying on incorrect citations.

It emphasised that such conduct undermines the integrity of the legal profession and misleads the court.

Consequently, the matter was referred to the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa for disciplinary action, with directions to complete the inquiry within a specified time frame.

[Pushpa v. State of Maharashtra]