<h1>Supreme Court to examine probe agencies summoning lawyers who advise clients during investigations</h1> The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu case regarding probe agencies summoning advocates who provide legal opinions or represent parties during investigations. The matter arose after the Enforcement Directorate summoned two senior lawyers who advised a company on employee stock ownership plans. Following criticism from bar associations, the ED issued a circular directing officers not to summon advocates in money laundering cases without director approval, citing Section 132 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023. The Supreme Court previously observed that allowing direct summoning of lawyers would undermine legal profession autonomy and threaten justice administration independence. The court framed questions about whether investigating agencies can directly summon lawyers and whether judicial oversight should be required for exceptional circumstances. The case originated from a Gujarat-based advocate's challenge to a high court order refusing to quash a police summons notice.