A sessions court in Mumbai recently denied bail to a woman who posed as a Supreme Court lawyer and defrauded a builder of large sums of money by falsely promising legal assistance.
Additional Sessions Judge VM Sundale noted that the woman is not a law graduate and has deceived numerous individuals by misrepresenting herself as an advocate.
“The applicant not only cheated the public at large but also attempted to disrespect the noble legal profession. The offense is serious, and there is sufficient prima facie evidence against the applicant. The apprehension placed on record by the investigating officer regarding pressurizing prosecution witnesses and fleeing from justice is well-founded. Under these circumstances, it is not proper to release the applicant on bail. Hence, the following order is passed,” observed the judge.
The accused, Poonam Khanna, sought bail from the sessions court after being charged with cheating and other offenses under the Indian Penal Code.
According to the prosecution, in 2019, Ashok Mohanani sought legal representation for two cases in the City Civil Court. A friend introduced him to Khanna, who falsely claimed to be a practicing Supreme Court lawyer and offered to represent him. Khanna demanded legal fees of ₹15 lakh, and Mohanani paid ₹10 lakh as an advance.
In one of the cases, Mohanani faced issues with construction at a village due to the electricity department’s failure to install a transformer, resulting in a lack of electricity supply and financial losses for him and other builders.
Khanna assured the builders that she would file the necessary legal proceedings to secure the transformer but demanded ₹3 crore, with 50 percent in advance. After discussions, Mohanani and the other builders agreed to pay her ₹2.11 crore as quickly as possible. Over the next few days, Khanna allegedly received ₹71 lakh under this agreement.
However, Mohanani found that Khanna neither completed the work nor initiated any legal proceedings. Upon investigation, he discovered that she was not an advocate and had deceived several others similarly. This prompted him to lodge a complaint against her.
The State’s counsel argued that a total of eleven criminal cases were registered against Khanna in various police stations. During these investigations, it was revealed that Khanna had provided false residential addresses.
The court also noted that Khanna’s anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by both the Supreme Court and the High Court.
“It further appears that similar crimes are registered against the applicant in Haryana State. During the investigation, it transpired that the applicant is not a law graduate and has deceived several persons by falsely representing herself as an advocate. The applicant has no permanent abode. During the investigation, the applicant provided false information about her residence,” the court noted while rejecting the bail plea.
Advocate Nasima Battivala appeared for Khanna, APP Ratnavali Patil represented the State, and Advocate Umesh Iyer appeared for Mohanani.
