Supreme Court stays order against two advocates in land dispute case

The Supreme Court of India has stayed an Allahabad High Court order that directed criminal and disciplinary proceedings against two advocates, Shiv Kant Mishra and Krishna Kant Mishra. The High Court had previously ordered the Registrar General to initiate proceedings under Section 340 of the CrPC, alleging the lawyers misled the court by using a fabricated copy of a land acquisition award to secure interest payments for their clients.

The dispute involves the Bareilly Development Authority and concerns interest rates on compensation for acquired land. The High Court found that a typed version of a 2016 award contained unauthorized interest provisions—9 percent for the first year and 15 percent thereafter—that were allegedly not in the original document. This typed copy had been used to obtain a favorable order in May 2024.

The Allahabad High Court had also sought the cancellation of the advocates' licenses through the Bar Council of India and the state Bar Council. The Supreme Court has issued a notice on the special leave petition filed by Shiv Kant Mishra and scheduled the matter for hearing on October 12.