Hon’ble Justice Fatehdeep Singh Sandhu (Retd.)

OVERVIEW

Performed Real Estate LLP is privileged to have the guidance and counsel of Hon’ble Justice Fatehdeep Singh Sandhu (Retired), one of the most distinguished jurists to have served the Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. With a judicial career spanning over two decades and a legal practice rooted in the rich tradition of Punjab’s courts, Justice Sandhu brings unparalleled legal acumen, institutional integrity, and deep expertise in property and civil law to our partnership.

His association with Performed Real Estate LLP ensures that every transaction, agreement, and development project we undertake is backed by the highest standard of legal oversight. In a sector where legal clarity is the foundation of trust, Justice Sandhu’s presence is not merely an advantage — it is a commitment to our clients that their interests are protected by the very best.

EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION

Justice Fatehdeep Singh Sandhu was born on 8th July, 1960, in the historic city of Amritsar, Punjab — the spiritual and cultural heartland of the Sikh community and of the broader North Indian ethos. Growing up in Amritsar gave him a profound understanding of the region’s social fabric, its people, and the aspirations that drive them.

He pursued his higher education at the prestigious Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar — one of India’s foremost universities, named after the founder of Sikhism. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) followed by a Master of Laws (L.L.M.) from GNDU, graduating with a strong grounding in constitutional law, civil jurisprudence, and the socio-legal frameworks that govern Indian society. His academic excellence at GNDU — an institution that has produced some of India’s finest public servants and legal minds — laid the foundation for a career defined by rigour and integrity. He remains a distinguished alumnus of the GNDU Alumni Association, recognised among the university’s most celebrated graduates.

LEGAL CAREER & JUDICIAL SERVICE

Following his L.L.M., Justice Sandhu enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, stepping into one of India’s most active and legally complex jurisdictions. The Punjab & Haryana High Court at Chandigarh — which exercises jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh — handles matters ranging from agrarian and property disputes to constitutional challenges and criminal proceedings. Practising in this environment sharpened Justice Sandhu’s legal instincts across a wide spectrum of civil, criminal, and constitutional law.

On 10th May 1999, he was appointed as Additional District and Sessions Judge — a significant milestone marking his formal entry into the judiciary. As an Additional District and Sessions Judge, he presided over matters of considerable gravity: civil disputes involving property and title, criminal sessions, execution proceedings, and complex civil appeals. The district judiciary in Punjab and Haryana handles a particularly dense docket of land and property-related litigation, given the region’s long history of agrarian law and urban development, making this phase of his career especially formative for his expertise in real property law.

Through steady progression in the judicial hierarchy, Justice Sandhu was elevated to the Bench of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh — the highest court in Punjab and Haryana. As a Judge of the High Court, he delivered judgments across civil, criminal, constitutional, and service matters, earning a reputation for careful reasoning, fairness, and intellectual courage that is spoken of with great respect throughout the legal fraternity of North India.

NOTABLE JUDGMENTS & JUDICIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Justice Sandhu is widely recognised in legal circles for judgments that reflect both legal precision and moral courage. Among the matters that drew significant public and professional attention:

In September 2020, he presided over the anticipatory bail petition filed by former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in a high-profile case involving the alleged abduction, illegal detention, torture, and custodial death of Balwant Singh Multani in 1991. The case had seen two other judges recuse themselves before being placed before Justice Sandhu. In a detailed 15-page order, he dismissed the anticipatory bail petition and also rejected a connected petition seeking to nullify the investigation. Delivered at a time when the case attracted intense political and public scrutiny, the order was widely regarded as a powerful demonstration of judicial independence and fortitude.

In 2022, Justice Sandhu took cognisance of a serious anomaly in the pay structure of senior defence personnel, where officers of higher rank were drawing lesser pay than their junior counterparts. He directed the Central Government to resolve the pay anomalies, noting that the situation was adversely affecting the morale of the armed forces — a judgment that reflected his commitment to institutional equity and his broad understanding of public law.

Across his career on the Bench, Justice Sandhu’s judgments in civil matters — particularly those involving property rights, civil injunctions, land acquisition, and contractual disputes — have been cited and relied upon by practitioners across the Punjab & Haryana jurisdiction. His understanding of property law and real estate-related civil litigation is among the deepest in the region’s legal community.

ROLE AT PERFORMED REAL ESTATE LLP

In his capacity as Legal Partner and Advisor at Performed Real Estate LLP, Justice Sandhu provides strategic legal oversight across all dimensions of the firm’s operations. His role encompasses:

Legal Due Diligence:  Scrutinising title documents, encumbrance certificates, development agreements, and regulatory approvals to ensure that every property transaction we undertake is legally clean, transferable, and free of dispute.

Transactional Advisory:  Reviewing and advising on sale deeds, agreements to sell, joint development agreements, collaboration agreements, and lease deeds to protect the interests of the firm and its clients.

Regulatory Compliance:  Guiding the firm through applicable real estate legislation including RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development Act), PAPRA (Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act), municipal building bye-laws, and stamp duty and registration requirements across Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

Dispute Resolution:  Leveraging his decades of judicial experience to advise on litigation strategy, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution, ensuring that disputes — whether with buyers, sellers, contractors, or regulatory authorities — are handled efficiently and in the firm’s best interests.

Risk Assessment:  Identifying legal risks at the project planning stage, reviewing land use permissions, government notifications, and change-of-land-use (CLU) orders, and advising on mitigation strategies before any commitment is made.

Justice Sandhu’s involvement at this level of depth and seniority is a mark of Performed Real Estate LLP’s commitment to operating at the highest standards of legal integrity. For our clients, it means peace of mind — the assurance that every rupee invested is protected by a legal framework reviewed and endorsed by one of the region’s most respected judicial minds.

AT A GLANCE

Date of Birth:  8th July, 1960, Amritsar, Punjab

Education:  B.A. & L.L.M. — Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar

Bar Enrolment:  Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana

Judicial Entry:  Additional District & Sessions Judge — appointed 10 May 1999

High Court:  Judge, Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh (Retired)

Jurisdiction:  Punjab, Haryana & Union Territory of Chandigarh

Specialisation:  Civil Law, Property Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Jurisprudence

Alumni:  Distinguished Alumnus, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Role at Performed:  Legal Partner & Advisor — Due Diligence, Compliance & Risk Management