IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP-32178-2025 (O&M)

Date of Decision:19.02.2026 Jagmal Singh Mandhan …Petitioner Versus Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana …Respondents and others CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE GURVINDER SINGH GILL HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE RAMESH KUMARI Present: Mr. Hemant Bassi, Senior Advocate, assisted by Mr. Sanyam Malhotra, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. R.S.Randhawa, Senior Advocate, assisted by Mr. Rahish Pahwa and Ms. Tarranum Madan, Advocates, for respondent No.1.

GURVINDER SINGH GILL, J.

1. Petitioner – Jagmal Singh Mandhan assails order dated 01.10.2025 (Annexure P-15) passed by the Enrolment Committee of the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana vide which license issued to him to practice as an Advocate has been suspended and he has been directed to surrender his enrolment certificate as well as his identity card.

2. As per the case of the petitioner, he was enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana in the year 2006 vide Enrolment No.P/159/2006 and has been practicing at District Courts, Karnal and had also held various positions in the local Bar Associations including the post of President of the Sub Division Bar, Indri. It is averred that the petitioner’s daughter namely Ms. Anju Mandhan got enrolled as an Advocate in the year 2009 and that the petitioner’s son namely Mr. Virender Mandhan was also enrolled as an Advocate in the year 2010. As per the petitioner, his date of birth, as furnished by his father at the time of his admission in school, is 26.11.1973, which has consistently been reflected in all his testimonials including Matriculation certificate, Graduation, LLB, Aadhar Card and PAN Card and that he had never used any other certificate as regards his date of birth.

3. However, pursuant to an anonymous complaint received by the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana pertaining to discrepancies in the petitioner’s personal record, the Enrolment Committee of the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana took up the matter and vide order dated 05.09.2025 (Annexure P-2), while noticing some short-comings in respect of verification and authenticity as regards petitioner’s date of birth, directed him to submit his matriculation certificate on or before 12.09.2025. While passing the said order, it was also noticed that in case the date of birth as declared by the petitioner is taken to be correct i.e. 26.11.1973, the same would imply that he was merely 12 years old at the time of birth of his children i.e. Ms. Anju Devi (daughter) and Mr. Virender Mandhan (son), who were born in the year 1986 with a gap of only 2 months between their dates of birth. Consequently, strong suspicion having been raised, the petitioner as well as his children were directed to appear before the Enrolment Committee on 12.09.2025 at 2.00 PM and to submit valid and authenticated documents in support of their dates of birth.

4. Pursuant to the notice dated 06.09.2025 having been issued to the petitioner as well as to his children in compliance of order dated 05.09.2025, they filed a joint reply taking a stand that the dates of birth disclosed by them are the ones as had been mentioned by their elders, who were illiterate, at the time of their admission in school only on the basis of estimation without there being any proof. It was further stated that they were in the process of getting the dates of birth corrected from the authorities concerned by filing a civil suit and were having resort to other necessary proceedings in this regard and, thus, requested therein that the matter may either be adjourned sine die or be filed.

5. The petitioner and his children having failed to appear before the Enrolment Committee of Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana, the Committee vide order dated 12.09.2025 (Annexure P-4), while granting another opportunity to them to comply with order dated 05.09.2025, adjourned the matter to 19.09.2025 and also warned that in case no documents of proof are produced, their licenses m