Allahabad High Court: Rejects Lawyer's ₹4.8 Crore Fee Claim Against State

The Allahabad High Court recently rejected four petitions filed by an advocate who claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government owes him ₹4.8 crore as professional fee for representing it as a special counsel in various appeals.A Division Bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary at the outset deprecated the conduct of the State government for compelling the counsel to approach the Court.It observed that the payment of professional fees ought to be a very privileged and private affair between an advocate and a client. It added that such dispute should not be brought before the Court and must be resolved by mediation/conciliation. In the judgment delivered on August 14, the Court also emphasised that counsel should show restraint in dragging a client to a court for payment of fees. "In either of these cases, a party may win, but it is the trust and faith which always loses, which may not be the best of things in dispensation of justice. A litigation between a counsel and his client would tantamount to defeating the very bedrock of trust and faith, which is the basic foundation for an advocate and client relationship," the Bench said.Justices Shekhar B Saraf and Abdhesh Kumar ChaudharyThe Court was dealing with petitions moved by a lawyer before the Lucknow bench. The counsel said that he has been representing the State government for past 16 years and was authorised to receive notice and appear in all special appeals involving the Basic Education Depar