Aadhaar-like registry to weed out fake lawyers: Bar body's suggestion to Supreme Court

The Bar Association of India (BAI) has moved the Supreme Court seeking the creation of an Aadhaar-like national digital registry for lawyers, aimed at enabling real-time verification of advocates’ credentials and curbing the rise of fake legal practitioners [Bar Association of India & Anr. v Union of India & Ors.]..The BAI's plea has proposed the establishment of a National Digital Registry for the Legal Profession of India (NDRLP), a centralised, technology-driven database assigning each advocate a unique identifier linked to verified qualifications, enrolment status and disciplinary records.A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana today observed that it would have to consider the response of various stakeholders before such an exercise can be undertaken."Looks like a novel reform, but all law universities have to be made parties and they should disclose who are the bona fide law graduates from those institutes," remarked CJI Kant..Counsel for the BAI submitted that an interim policy paper would be placed on record and added that some updating of the lawyers' code of conduct was also needed.The Court added that it may consider constituting a fresh committee to examine the issues raised. The Bench also briefly commented on unsavoury remarks made by those who may falsely be projecting themselves as lawyers. "We may have to constitute a new committee with a new composition. We can show you a sample of what kind of nasty statements are being made, and I am sure they have nothing to do with law," observed CJI Kant..Underscoring the need to strengthen the legal profession and the need to support and integrate younger members of the profession, CJI Kant added, "Advocates are very responsible. Young members of the bar have to be strengthened. Unless they are trained and brought to mainstream and give some space in overcrowded courts, this problem will happen. Some young lawyers have formed real constructive associations. That is the silver lining.".The Court said it would list the matter on the first Monday after its ongoing summer vacations are over..In its petition, the BAI has highlighted what it terms to be a deep-rooted governance crisis, contending that the absence of a unified and reliable advocate verification mechanism undermines the integrity of the legal profession."The governance of the legal profession has encountered a structural failure of systemic proportions: there is no single, publicly verifiable, real-time national record of who is enrolled as an advocate in India," it states..Elaborating on the structural gaps, the petition points to the fragmented nature of the existing enrolment system maintained by State Bar Councils."The current system of enrolment and maintenance of rolls is fragmented across 23 State Bar Councils, operating without uniform standards, without real-time inter-operability, and without any mechanism by which a litigant, a court, or an authority can instantly verify whether a person holding themselves out as an advocate is genuinely enrolled, holds verified qualifications, and is in good standing," it notes..Against this backdrop, the BAI proposed the establishment of the NDRLP as a permanent, nationwide digital infrastructure, comprising a unique identifier for every advocate, their verified educational qualifications, real-time enrolment status, and a publicly accessible profile. Such a registry, the plea says, would function on lines comparable to India’s Aadhaar system and be accessible even to litigants through simple digital tools."The establishment of the NDRLP is not merely a matter of professional governance. It is a direct investment in India’s credibility as the world’s largest rule-of-law based democracy and as a destination for long-term domestic and foreign investment," argues the plea..The petition also seeks directions to the Bar Council of India to frame a comprehensive regulatory framework governing advocates’ conduct on social media, citing concerns over solicitation, misleading self-promotion, and the erosion of public confidence in the administration of justice..Advocate Vipin Nair appeared for the BAI along with its President Prashant Kumar..[Read Live Coverage]