SCAORA Urges Supreme Court Intervention Over ED summons to Senior Advocate Pratap Venugopal

The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) has urged the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons to Senior Advocate Pratap Venugopal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Venugopal was summoned for providing a legal opinion in connection with ESOPs granted to a corporate executive. SCAORA termed the summons an attack on lawyer-client privilege protected under Section 132 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.

The association warned that such actions could have a chilling effect on legal practice and urged the judiciary to protect the independence of the Bar and uphold constitutional safeguards.