Punjab & Haryana High Court: Litigants Cannot Backtrack and Blame Counsel After Case Withdrawal

The Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that litigants who withdraw their cases cannot later backtrack by blaming their lawyers for "lack of instructions."

The Court termed such claims "procedural heresy," emphasizing that a counsel is an officer of the court and not a mere mechanical agent.

Noting that statements made by advocates at the Bar are presumed to reflect the true intent of the litigant under the authority of a Vaqalatnama.

Dismissing a recall application in a murder case with costs of ₹20,000, the Bench held that allowing such pleas would make judicial orders vulnerable and turn courts into "laboratories for experimental litigation."

[Ankit Rawal v. State of Haryana]