Odisha Bar Council Suspends Archana Nag's Licence To Practice Law

Bhubaneswar: Five months after issuing a show-cause notice, Odisha State Bar Council has debarred Archana Nag, the prime accused in the 2022 honey-trapping case, from practising law in the state for withholding crucial information in her lawyer licence application.

She had enrolled with the bar as an advocate on May 10.

The meeting held on September 14 unanimously resolved to suspend Archana’s licence to practice law and initiate disciplinary proceedings against her, State Bar Council Chairman Sitanshu Mohan Dwibedy informed on Wednesday.

In the enrolment form submitted on September 2, 2024, the council found that she had attempted to intentionally suppress information on criminal cases pending against her in the court of law and her business links. She had denied the existence of any criminal cases or involvement in other professions, as required under points 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20(b). Subsequent inquiries, however, revealed that multiple criminal cases were pending against her. She was also serving as a director in two companies.

“Hiding such information amounts to deceiving the Bar Council and violates the Advocates Act, 1961,” Dwibedy added.

Archana was arrested on October 6, 2022 on allegations of operating a honey-trap racket.and had spent around 14 months in the Jharpada Special Jail here. Immediately after her release in December 2023, she appeared for the Integrated Law Exam, for which she had prepared inside the prison.

The council’s decision came as a double whammy for Archana, whose bungalow valued at Rs 3.4 crore in Bhubaneswar’s Satya Vihar area was recently sealed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing a money laundering case against her. This action came two years after the property was initially attached by the agency.