The attorney has denied creating the video, claiming that a public relations agency that wished to work with him on social media created it using artificial intelligence (AI) without his knowledge.
Due to a promotional video that was posted on social media that allegedly promoted Happymon Babu's legal services, the Bar Council of Kerala (BCK) has sent him a show-cause notice.
In addition to violating the Advocates Act of 1961 and the Bar Council of India Rules, the BCK notice noted that it also went against recent BCI directives that said any online promotion by advocates is a breach of professional decorum and ethics.
Babu has been given 15 days by the BCK to provide a written response to the accusations and provide justification for why disciplinary action against him should not be taken.
In the video, a woman is seen recommending that those involved in criminal situations, property issues, divorce cases, etc., get in touch with Happymon Babu for his legal assistance.
However, advocate Babu has denied creating or disseminating the video.
He told Bar and Bench that an internet public relations firm created the video after contacting him on social media to work together. He said that the video was created with artificial intelligence (AI) and that the agency posted it to Instagram as a narrative without telling him. It was intended to serve as an example of how their partnership might develop if Babu consented.
He claimed that although he instructed the PR agency to remove the video right away, it had already been downloaded and circulated among lawyer groups on WhatsApp.
According to Babu's written declaration before Bar and Bench,
"I have been a practicing independent advocate for about three years, appearing in district courts around Kerala as well as the Honourable High Court of Kerala. To date, I have not used any marketing strategies or advertisements. All of my cases originate from referrals, relationships, or goodwill earned via successful cases. I assume that this incidence occurred since my Facebook and Instagram accounts receive a lot of views. I have consistently politely declined requests to collaborate from various content creation pages that send their creative AI movies, digital visiting cards, etc. I don't recall whose site it was published on or whether I was tagged, but I never published it on any of my pages. It wasn't until it was made or downloaded by someone and circulated among legal associations that it caught my attention.
Babu went on to say that other lawyers may have shared the film because of political rivalry after this year's Ernakulam Bar Association election, in which Babu ran.
Babu hasn't completely ruled out the possibility that the film was made by someone with bad intentions.
"This has been an unfortunate event, and I declare I will take extra care to ensure such acts never occur and I respect the dignity of this noble profession and will be passionate to uphold it," Babu stated.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about lawyers using social media to advertise their profession or recruit clients.
The Bar Council of India vehemently denounced and cautioned against the tendency in March of this year.
Mohammed Fayiz, a recently enrolled advocate, was given a show-cause notice by the Kerala Bar Council in June for a film he had created of his enrollment that featured images of a High Court judge's official car and license plate.
The Bar Council of Delhi warned attorneys who advertise themselves on social media and other digital platforms in violation of professional standards just last month.
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