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In Violation Of Law, Amrapali Allotted Penthouses To Its Lawyers As ‘Fees’, Forensic Auditors Tell SC
An under construction Amrapali Group building from 2011. (Photo by Pradeep Gaur/Mint via Getty Images)
Adding to the list of shocking disclosures in the Amrapali case, forensic auditors told the Supreme Court (SC) that the company had allotted flats and penthouses as fees to the lawyers representing it at various judicial forums, reports Mint.
Accepting the auditors' view that lawyers who accept fees from their clients in 'kind' violate the law, the SC bench consisting of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit stated 'it is prohibited under the Advocates Act and no lawyers can accept the fees in kind.'
"I request the lawyers, who have received the flats, from Amrapali to return the property as soon as possible," said the auditor Pawan Agrawal in the court.
All the directors of Jotindra Steel and Tubes Ltd, a supplier to the infamous Amrapali group, have also been directed to appear before the forensic auditors over the next three days.
Cheater And Liar
SC is currently hearing petitions filed by many home buyers who are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in various Amrapali properties.
In December 2018, while hearing a case against Amrapali, the Supreme Court had termed the company and its promoters as "the worst kind of cheater" and "biggest liar."
Such strong language was used by the court when the company admitted that it had diverted homebuyers' money to develop other properties like a five-star hotel in Greater Noida, malls and resorts in various parts of the country.
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