Law Firm cannot report cases sub-judice since any slant in Reporting may lead to Multifarious Problems: Delhi High Court [Read Order]

Law Firm - cases sub-judice - Delhi High Court - Taxscan

The Delhi High Court, while considering a petition filed by Society for Tax Analysis and Research, a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court has held that a law firm cannot report the details of the cases through their website/blog for the reason that any slant in such reporting may lead to multifarious problems which may affect the proceedings and the respective counsels.

The petitioners filed a petition requesting the Court to direct the Central Government to extend various tax due dates. In the meanwhile, an article was published in a blog titled “A Summer of Relief for Taxpayers”, published on https://gstlawindia.in, administered by ALA Legal Advocates & Solicitors concerning the proceedings.

Mr. Puneet Aggarwal, Advocate appeared on behalf of the petitioners requested to remove the blog and to make an unconditional apology to the Court as also to the Additional Solicitor General Mr. Venkatraman.

The petitioners also contended that the order of this Court dated 25.05.2021, will be uploaded on the aforementioned website/blog wherein the Court directed to submit the suggestions of the parties before the GST Council and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Justice Rajiv Shakhder and Justice Talwant Singh observed that “we have also indicated to Mr. Aggarwal that ALA Legal cannot, and ought not, run the website/blog, in respect of the proceedings, which are being prosecuted by it, as there is every likelihood of losing objectivity in the reportage of proceedings; as was the case, in the instant matter.”

While postponing the matter to 22nd July 2021, the Court observed that “any slant in the reporting, which is not in line with the orders of the Court, leads to multifarious problems including the embarrassment that counsels appearing in the matter may encounter vis-a-vis their respective principals.”

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