MUMBAI, Feb. 8 -- The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to a Mumbai resident arrested for allegedly posing as a Supreme Court lawyer and duping a builder of Rs.51 lakh. A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan granted bail to Poonam Charandas Khanna primarily on the ground of her long incarceration. She had approached the apex court after the Bombay High Court rejected her bail plea on December 8, in connection with a cheating case registered at Kherwadi police station. Arguing for Khanna, advocate Prastut Mahesh Dalvi, Pranay Saraf and Vidhi Pankaj Thaker, told the court that the accused was nearly 60-years-old and had been in custody for over two years, since January 2024, despite no considerable progress in the trial. Khanna's representatives pointed out that eight out of the 12 witnesses in the case had been examined and it was unclear when the trial would conclude. Adding that the offences carry a maximum sentence of seven years, Dalvi argued that she had "a good case on merits" and that "chances of her acquittal are bright". The state government and the complainant opposed the plea, stating she had "misrepresented that she is an advocate when she is not qualified as an advocate" and had "duped several persons" by claiming she could secure legal relief for them, earning "huge sums" as professional charges. At the time, refusing her bail, the court termed it "a serious offence". It described impersonating a lawyer as "a taint and blemish on the legal profession" something which "erodes the public faith in the legal profession". However, on Friday, the court granted her bail with conditions to be set by the trial court. The court held that she must "extend complete cooperation in the trial" and must not "not misuse her liberty in any manner"....