Allahabad High Court Bars Lawyer from Practicing for 3 Years

The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has upheld its earlier order sentencing lawyer Asok Pande to six months' imprisonment and imposed a three-year ban on him from practicing and even entering the premises of the high court’s Allahabad and Lucknow benches.

The division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Brij Raj Singh dismissed Pande's recall application against the April 10 order, which had found him guilty of criminal contempt for disrespectful courtroom behavior—specifically, addressing the court with an unbuttoned shirt despite being told to correct it.

Rejecting his plea for leniency, the court noted that Pande had failed to present any valid ground for recalling the order and that his apology, submitted belatedly, lacked sincerity. The bench also pointed out Pande’s history of contempt, including a prior conviction in 2017 when he was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, fined Rs. 25,000, and barred from entering the court for two years.

While Pande argued that he should be treated on par with Advocate Prashant Bhushan—who was fined just Rs. 1 in a Supreme Court contempt case—the court firmly denied this comparison, highlighting Pande’s repeated offences and pending contempt petitions.

Court refused to reduce the duration of his practice ban to three months, as requested. “Despite the earlier restraint order, there is no sign of improvement in his conduct,” the court observed.

The final order reiterated that Pande must surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow within two months and deposit the fine of Rs. 2000 within one month. Failure to do so will invite an additional one-month imprisonment.

The court directed that the order be communicated to the Registrar General and Senior Registrars at both benches for strict compliance.

Case Title: State of U.P. vs. Asok Pande

Download order here