Now Reading: Supreme Court slams actress, lawyer for 11-year legal feud
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Supreme Court slams actress, lawyer for 11-year legal feud
The Supreme Court on Friday imposed Rs 5 lakh costs each on actress Rehana Khan and lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee, dismissing their cross-appeals in an 11-year legal dispute. A bench of Justices Vikram…
The Supreme Court on Friday imposed Rs 5 lakh costs each on actress Rehana Khan and lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee, dismissing their cross-appeals in an 11-year legal dispute. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi said both had come with unclean hands and wasted court time that belonged to genuine litigants waiting in queue.
Barandbench.com reports the Court held that Siddiquee's television interview disclosing confidential client information was itself enough to sustain the Bar Council's finding of misconduct against him. Times of India reports the bench described the case as 'luxury litigation' by influential people that delays hearing of poor litigants' cases.
The Court rejected a plea to redact the parties' names. The dispute began in 2013 when Khan alleged a police officer attempted to assault her. The Bar Council of India had suspended Siddiquee for two years and fined him Rs 3 lakh.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Barandbench.com leads with the Supreme Court's sharp rebuke of the litigants' conduct, quoting the bench's observation that 'neither has been candid'. Times of India frames the same story around 'luxury litigation' by the rich delaying poor litigants' cases. Barandbench emphasises the lawyer's breach of client confidentiality, Times of India foregrounds the access-to-justice argument. Both report the same Rs 5 lakh cost and the bench's refusal to redact names. The measured reading: the Court found both parties had exploited the legal process for 11 years. The key takeaway is the bench's wider principle, the court is not a forum for manufactured spectacles. Watch for the Bar Council to re-examine its disciplinary procedures after this stringent judicial review.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): barandbench.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
