The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on Wednesday a petition filed by Delhi-based advocate Vikram Singh challenging his arrest by the Haryana Police’s Special Task Force (STF) in a murder case, asserting that he was being targeted merely for representing a co-accused in his professional capacity.
A bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, along with Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, took note of the submission made by senior advocate Vikas Singh, who urged the court for an urgent hearing, stressing that a lawyer had been “implicated and arrested for performing his professional work.”
“We will hear it on Wednesday,” the CJI said while scheduling the matter.
The arrest of Vikram Singh triggered widespread protests among the legal fraternity. On November 6, the coordination committee of Delhi district court bar associations called for an abstention from work across all district courts, alleging his false implication in the murder case.
According to the plea, Singh — an advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi since July 2019 — is currently lodged in Faridabad Jail. The petition names the Haryana and Delhi governments as well as the Bar Council of India as respondents.
The petition seeks:
- Immediate release of the petitioner;
- Quashing of all proceedings arising out of FIR No. [details withheld] registered at Police Station Sector–8, Faridabad, under Sections 302, 34 IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act;
- A judicial inquiry into the alleged illegal actions of the STF, Gurugram.
The petition argues that Singh was arrested on October 31 without being informed of the written grounds of arrest or the presence of independent witnesses, violating Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution. It adds that on November 1, a Faridabad trial court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days “by a mechanical and non-speaking order devoid of reasoning or material” connecting him to the alleged offences.
The petition claims that Singh’s arrest was a retaliatory move after he filed a court application alleging custodial assault on one of his clients, Jyoti Prakash alias “Baba”, who had reportedly suffered a leg fracture while in STF custody.
“The retaliatory action by the investigating agency culminated in my illegal arrest,” the plea states.
Defending his professional role, Singh submitted that between 2021 and 2025, he represented several clients in criminal cases, including individuals alleged to be associated with Kapil Sangwan alias ‘Nandu’.
“All such representations were undertaken purely in the discharge of his professional obligations and in conformity with the Advocates Act and the standards of professional ethics,” the petition reads.
It further accuses the investigating agency of “criminalising the petitioner’s professional association with his clients,” which, it argues, undermines the independence of the Bar, the rule of law, and the sanctity of the advocate–client relationship.
