Delhi High Court stays BCI suspension of AAP legal head Sanjeev Nasiar as BCD Vice-Chairman

The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) directive for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the authenticity of advocate Sanjeev Nasiar’s LL.B (Hons.) degree and his suspension from the position of vice chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD)..Justice Sanjeev Narula passed the stay order and listed the matter for further hearing on January 21, 2025..Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Nasiar, stated that the University had already affirmed that Nasiar's degree is genuine and that the same was already held by Delhi High Court."BCI has invoked its revisional powers, assumed jurisdiction on its own. No opportunity to be heard was given to me. BCI directly published it. They don’t say it’s forged; they say it is 'highly questionable,'" he said.Pahwa argued that only the Supreme Court and High Courts, not the BCI, have the authority to order a CBI probe. He further argued that the BCI lacked the authority to issue a directive for removal without first initiating a CBI probe. While the BCD may possess the power to remove, he maintained that the BCI cannot act unilaterally. He also asserted that the BCI does not even have the authority to remove its own chairman or vice chairman..Senior Advocate Kirtiman Singh for BCI argued that although the University had vouched for the authenticity of the degree, it did not have the last word on proving it."Universities may be complicit in giving fake degrees," he said.BCD cannot stop BCI from conducting an inquiry, he said and also highlighted that the degree was awarded in 1988 despite the course having started in 2008."Sub-Committee’s report came after physically going to the university and doing a thorough investigation," he added. Pahwa then stated that during the same time period, the same University awarded LLB degrees to High Court judges, 3 designated lawyers and former Speaker."It is targeted only towards me. Direction is not towards university, but only towards me," he said.Pahwa sought interim protection citing news reports about his suspension and the direction for CBI probe, which was ultimately granted by the Court..Along with Pahwa, Senior Advocate Sacchin Puri and advocate Praveen Kumar represented Nasiar.