New Delhi: Taking a grim view of alleged extortion attempts by two lawyers, Delhi High Court has ordered a probe.The court recently asked Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) to conduct an inquiry against the lawyers to examine their conduct and take disciplinary action, if required. The court also ordered police to investigate, including lodging an FIR, if needed, and observed that prima facie material suggested the judicial process might have been misused to allegedly extort money from owners of properties with unauthorised constructions.While hearing a plea seeking contempt of court action against Municipal Corporation of Delhi for failing to act against unauthorised constructions, Justice Mini Pushkarna said, “Very shocking facts have been revealed, which show that a scam is being run by a set of people, wherein they file petitions for the purpose of extorting money from the people, in whose properties, some unauthorised construction is existing.”Citing a report filed by the station house officer of Malviya Nagar police station, the court observed it “clearly shows a nexus among different persons, for the purposes of misusing the process of the court by obtaining orders for demolition of the properties, and then approaching their owners” to extort them.It referred the matter to BCD for carrying out investigation against advocates SK Shukla and Prashant Chauhan. HC also asked BCD to contact Narayan Kumar Kashyap, who reportedly signed off on the petition filed by Naresh Chauhan and Universal Human Right Foundation. Kashyap claimed that his signatures on two contempt petitions and related affidavits had been forged.The court told the DCP concerned to ensure action against any person found involved.The contempt petitions, which have been disposed of, were filed alleging non-compliance with earlier directions issued to MCD to take action against unauthorised constructions at properties in Panchsheel Vihar, Shekh Sarai and Khirki village in south Delhi.“The court is being misused and abused for the purpose of exerting pressure on the owners of the properties wherein unauthorised construction exists, in order to extort money and earning money in an illegal manner,” HC said.
