The Bar Council of India (BCI) has called upon universities and state bar councils to address the menace of fake law degrees..The BCI notification cites the example of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, where 13 fake law degrees were verified by the Bar Council of Delhi. This finding set the wheels in motion to initiate a verification across all state bar councils."Subsequent internal investigations suggest that this problem is systemic, with evidence pointing to over several hundred additional cases of fraudulent enrollments in Delhi alone. The prevalence of such practices constitutes a grave threat to the legal profession and warrants immediate corrective measures," the notification states..The Supreme Court had constituted a high-level committee in April 2023 to expedite verification processes in state bar councils. Subsequently, in June 2023, Rule 32 of the BCI Rules was amended to ensure that advocates who participate in bar elections will have to complete the verification processes in 18 months. Failure to comply and complete verification in the given duration will result in dissolution of state bar councils and formation of Special Committees under Rule 8A of the Advocates Act, 1961..Universities under scrutiny.The BCI has criticised universities, including Chaudhary Charan Singh University, for delaying verification reports and charging verification fees for the same. Such practices are in violation of the Supreme Court's directives which mandate educational institutions to maintain transparency and expedite verification processes, it says.The Council also said that recognised and deemed universities have been found issuing law degrees in violation of the norms established by the Bar Council."In certain instances, these institutions have turned legal education into a mere commercial transaction under the guise of education. Such unethical practices must be immediately eradicated to safeguard the legal education and prevent further erosion of professional standards.".State bar council accountability and action."It is with regret that the Bar Council of India observes the widespread failure of some of the State Bar Councils, to initiate strong verification processes. Reports and evidence suggest that thousands of advocates across India may have enrolled using fake law degrees, forged academic certificates, or falsified qualifications," the notification states.The BCI has directed all state bar councils to complete verification processes of all advocates in their rolls. BCI reaffirmed its exclusive authority to remove fraudulent entries and has urged compliance to avoid legal consequences.State bar councils are to provide detailed reports on their verification processes with evidence to enable BCI to take appropriate action. BCI will be providing a consolidated report to the Supreme Court on the verification drive..The BCI has urged state bar councils to cooperate in this endeavour to restore public trust in the legal profession.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has called upon universities and state bar councils to address the menace of fake law degrees..The BCI notification cites the example of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, where 13 fake law degrees were verified by the Bar Council of Delhi. This finding set the wheels in motion to initiate a verification across all state bar councils."Subsequent internal investigations suggest that this problem is systemic, with evidence pointing to over several hundred additional cases of fraudulent enrollments in Delhi alone. The prevalence of such practices constitutes a grave threat to the legal profession and warrants immediate corrective measures," the notification states..The Supreme Court had constituted a high-level committee in April 2023 to expedite verification processes in state bar councils. Subsequently, in June 2023, Rule 32 of the BCI Rules was amended to ensure that advocates who participate in bar elections will have to complete the verification processes in 18 months. Failure to comply and complete verification in the given duration will result in dissolution of state bar councils and formation of Special Committees under Rule 8A of the Advocates Act, 1961..Universities under scrutiny.The BCI has criticised universities, including Chaudhary Charan Singh University, for delaying verification reports and charging verification fees for the same. Such practices are in violation of the Supreme Court's directives which mandate educational institutions to maintain transparency and expedite verification processes, it says.The Council also said that recognised and deemed universities have been found issuing law degrees in violation of the norms established by the Bar Council."In certain instances, these institutions have turned legal education into a mere commercial transaction under the guise of education. Such unethical practices must be immediately eradicated to safeguard the legal education and prevent further erosion of professional standards.".State bar council accountability and action."It is with regret that the Bar Council of India observes the widespread failure of some of the State Bar Councils, to initiate strong verification processes. Reports and evidence suggest that thousands of advocates across India may have enrolled using fake law degrees, forged academic certificates, or falsified qualifications," the notification states.The BCI has directed all state bar councils to complete verification processes of all advocates in their rolls. BCI reaffirmed its exclusive authority to remove fraudulent entries and has urged compliance to avoid legal consequences.State bar councils are to provide detailed reports on their verification processes with evidence to enable BCI to take appropriate action. BCI will be providing a consolidated report to the Supreme Court on the verification drive..The BCI has urged state bar councils to cooperate in this endeavour to restore public trust in the legal profession.
