Suspended lawyer banned from filing appeals in Manitoba after 'multitude of meritless' motions: decision

Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 28, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A lawyer antecedently suspended from practising aft being deemed incompetent has present been barred from starting oregon continuing proceedings successful Manitoba's appeals tribunal without support from a judge, aft being deemed a "vexatious litigant."

That determination follows a past of Vibhu Raj Jhanji bringing what the Court of Appeal of Manitoba called "a multitude of meritless appeals and motions," including challenges of a determination to suspend him from practising law, a related quality rights ailment and a abstracted suit astir a failed existent property transaction.

A vexatious litigant is, by definition, idiosyncratic who repeatedly files unfounded ineligible actions for improper purposes.

"Mr. Jhanji asserts that helium is not vexatious, arsenic helium has simply taken proceedings and sought remedies that are disposable to him astatine instrumentality and nether the tribunal rules," the June 19 decision from 3 appeals tribunal judges said.

"His presumption is that the [Law Society of Manitoba] is 'flouting the law' and has had its decisions 'rubber stamped' by the courts."

Meanwhile, the appeals tribunal recovered Jhanji's actions met "most, if not all," elements needed for the ineligible trial it utilized to find whether proceedings should beryllium deemed vexatious.

That includes starting aggregate proceedings to relitigate matters that person already been decided, referring backmost successful written materials to identical oregon astir identical grievances from anterior hearings and appeals — including allegations of bias against appeals judges — and trying to person lawyers for the instrumentality nine and different responding parties disqualified, the determination said.

It's besides "objectively wide that the proceedings volition not effect successful the alleviation sought," the determination said, adding Jhanji has tried to person unsuccessful appeals heard again and appealed unsuccessful chambers motions.

Jhanji, who practised instrumentality successful India for implicit 2 decades, was found incompetent to practise successful Manitoba successful January 2020, after a Law Society of Manitoba reappraisal recovered important gaps successful his cognition of Canadian law.

That determination besides raised concerns astir however helium was ever allowed to practise successful Manitoba successful the archetypal place, fixed his level of incompetence.

He was aboriginal fixed a suspension of nary little than three years, with the suspension extending indefinitely until helium could found his competency to practise.

As of Friday, his presumption with the Law Society of Manitoba was inactive listed arsenic suspended.

'Frivolous' lawsuit, quality rights complaint

Among the frivolous ineligible actions elaborate successful the appeals court's June determination was one Jhanji filed against defendants including the Law Society of Manitoba aft the tribunal dismissed challenges of his suspension.

That assertion was aboriginal struck, with a justice describing it arsenic an maltreatment of tribunal process and a "frivolous and vexatious" effort to relitigate a suspension that was already upheld respective times, the determination said.

Jhanji past filed an appeal, on with a question that tried successful portion to person the instrumentality society's lawyers disqualified. The question was dismissed — a determination helium besides appealed.

Both those appeals were dismissed, arsenic was a question for a caller hearing, and the tribunal moved to state Jhanji a vexatious litigant, the determination said.

Around the aforesaid time, Jhanji besides filed a ailment against the instrumentality nine with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, "alleging systemic bias and that it discriminated against him due to the fact that of his nationality" during his disciplinary hearings. 

The committee declined to investigate, saying it lacked jurisdiction and the substance had already been determined by the courts. The committee besides concluded the ailment was "frivolous and vexatious," the entreaty tribunal determination said.

Jhanji past sought a judicial reappraisal of the commission's decision, which was dismissed — prompting him to record different appeal.

'A present acquainted pattern'

In November 2020, Jhanji besides filed a abstracted connection of assertion naming himself and a numbered institution he's the sole manager of arsenic plaintiffs successful transportation with a failed existent property transaction, the determination said.

Jhanji ended up being struck arsenic a plaintiff successful that lawsuit and barred from representing the numbered company. He appealed and moved for a enactment of proceedings, which was dismissed.

In the meantime, the deadline for filing an appeal little besides passed, resulting successful the entreaty being deemed abandoned, the determination said.

Jhanji past filed a question earlier different justice to widen the clip helium had to record the brief. It was dismissed, and helium appealed.

He besides brought a question seeking measures including disqualification of instrumentality nine counsel and a announcement of contempt being issued against them. That question was besides dismissed, past appealed, the determination said.

Jhanji's existent property assertion ended up being struck — a determination appealed and dismissed by "yet another" justice — past appealed again, the Court of Appeal determination said.

In July 2024, Manitoba's main justness denied a question to give Jhanji support to correspond the numbered institution connected its 3 related appeals.

Other appeals related to that substance were besides dismissed — and successful "a present acquainted pattern, Mr. Jhanji filed a question for a rehearing of these appeals," which was besides precocious dismissed, the entreaty tribunal determination said.