The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a writ petition filed against the arrest of Advocate Vikram Singh by the Haryana Police in connection with a murder case. The case concerns Singh’s arrest by the Gurugram Police Special Task Force.

The matter was urgently mentioned by Advocate Menees Dubey before a bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, supported the request, stating that the issue directly concerns the independence of the legal profession.

“It is an arrest without any material for even summoning. This concerns the independence of the Bar,” Vikas Singh submitted. The CJI allowed the matter to be heard tomorrow. Notably, lawyers in Delhi District Courts had recently refrained from work in protest against the arrest.

Advocate Vikram Singh was arrested on October 31 and was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody by a Faridabad court on November 1. The FIR relates to the alleged murder of Suraj Bhan, reportedly by associates of Kapil Sangwan @ Nandu. Singh had been representing accused Jyoti Prakash @ Babu, arrested earlier in March 2024.

The petition states that Singh had raised complaints before the Trial Court regarding the alleged custodial mistreatment of his client. Thereafter, the Investigating Officer issued notices under Section 41A CrPC seeking information regarding Singh’s clients, including alleged disclosures about Kapil Sangwan. When Singh appeared before police on October 31 in response to one such notice, he was arrested.

In his Article 32 petition, Singh contends that the arrest is an “extraordinary case” requiring the Supreme Court’s intervention, alleging it as a direct attack on the independence of advocates. The plea argues that the arrest, after nearly nineteen months of FIR registration and despite other accused being on bail, appears intended to intimidate counsel for performing professional duties.

The petition further asserts that compelling an advocate to divulge client-related information is impermissible and undermines the right to legal representation. It also places reliance on a recent Supreme Court ruling prohibiting police from summoning advocates to extract details of clients.

The petition has been drafted by Advocates Bhanu Pratap Singh, Kehshav Singh, Md. Imran Ahmad, and Udit Thakran, and filed through Advocate Arjun Singh Bhati.