On Tuesday, the Special Judge (SC/ST Act), Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, found advocate Parmanand Gupta guilty of orchestrating a scheme that weaponized the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to the judgment, Gupta enlisted a Dalit woman, Pooja Rawat, to file nearly a dozen FIRs and more than 18 court cases against individuals with whom he either had personal grudges or sought financial gain.
The court observed that Gupta’s actions not only destroyed the lives of those falsely implicated but also eroded trust in the judicial system. He was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 3(2)(5) of the SC/ST Act and received additional sentences of one year and ten years under Sections 217 and 248 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Alongside the prison terms, he was fined ₹5.1 lakh.
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Conspiracy Unraveled Through High Court Scrutiny
The conspiracy came to light when the Allahabad High Court examined a plea to quash an FIR lodged by Pooja Rawat in a rape case against two individuals. During the proceedings, the Court noted a disturbing pattern: a large number of similar complaints had been filed by Rawat, all linked to Gupta as her counsel.
Alarmed by this trend, the High Court ordered a CBI investigation. The agency’s probe revealed that Rawat had filed as many as 11 FIRs, while Gupta was directly responsible for initiating 18 court cases. This pattern of legal abuse, the CBI concluded, was part of a deliberate strategy to harass targets and extort money.
Approver’s Testimony and Judicial Concerns
Rawat eventually turned approver, admitting that she had been used as a pawn in Gupta’s larger scheme. She revealed that she worked in a salon managed by Gupta’s wife, and the lawyer exploited her SC community status to pursue vendettas and settle scores.
In its strongly worded observations, the Court warned that such misconduct threatened public confidence in the judiciary. “If it does not stop advocates like Gupta from entering legal profession and practicing law, public’s faith in the Indian judiciary will be seriously affected,” the judgment said.
The Court emphasized that convicted lawyers should be barred from court premises to safeguard the purity of judicial proceedings. It also directed that a copy of the judgment be sent to the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh in Allahabad for further action.
Sentences to Run Separately
In a significant ruling, Judge Tripathi ordered that all of Gupta’s sentences would run separately. This means the advocate must first serve the one-year sentence under Section 217/49, followed by ten years under Section 248/49, and finally life imprisonment under Section 3(2)(5) of the SC/ST Act. Time already spent in custody will be credited, but the Court made it clear that the punishment must be served in its entirety. While Gupta faces life behind bars, Rawat was acquitted. The Court, however, cautioned her that any future misuse of the SC/ST Act would invite stringent action.
