New Delhi, August 12: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday described itself as the “custodian” of all citizens in the country while hearing a suo motu case on the summoning of lawyers by investigative agencies in connection with their representation of clients.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria made the observation while hearing submissions from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
“We are custodian of the entire citizens of the country,” the Chief Justice remarked during the proceedings. The court then reserved its order in the matter, which has drawn significant attention from the legal community over concerns that such summons could interfere with the right to legal representation.
The case was taken up by the Supreme Court on its own initiative amid reports of lawyers being called in by central probe agencies while defending clients in high-profile cases.