JUDGMENT

Sen, J. - This petition under Article 32 of the Constitution raises a question of some nicety. The question is whether the fight to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice under Article 22(1) of the Constitution comprehends the right of an accused to be supplied with a lawyer by the State.

2. The petitioner is an advocate-on-record practicing in this Court and has been arraigned along with four others to stand his trial for the commission of an alleged offence of murder in furtherance of criminal conspiracy punishable under section 302 read with section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code in what is known as the Samastipur Bomb Blast case in the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge, Delhi. Bawa Gurcharan Singh engaged by the main accused Santoshanand and Sudevanand as senior counsel was also appearing for the petitioner as a matter of professional courtesy to a fellow member of the Bar. The evidence of the first approver P.W. 1 Madan Mohan Srivastava @ Visheshwaranand was concluded on March 25, 19151 and he was cross-examined by Bawa Gurcharan Singh on behalf of the main accused as well as the petitioner, and by P.P. Grover appearing on behalf of the other two accu