In a sweeping crackdown on fraudulent practices, the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) has revoked the licenses of over 100 individuals, permanently removing them from its advocate roll. This action, driven by directives from the Bar Council of India (BCI), follows the discovery of forged LLB degrees and other educational qualifications verified as fake by concerned universities. The move underscores a commitment to maintaining integrity within India’s legal profession.
Background of the Crackdown
The purge began with a series of notifications issued by the BCD between June 2023 and September 2025. As a statutory body established under the Advocates Act, 1961, the BCD is responsible for regulating the enrollment and conduct of advocates in Delhi. The notifications, signed by Colonel Arun Sharma (Retd.), Secretary of the BCD, explicitly stated that the enrollments were obtained through “false information and fraudulent means.”
Under Section 26(1) of the Advocates Act, 1961, the BCD has the authority to remove names from the roll if qualifications are found to be invalid. The process was triggered when concerned universities flagged the degrees as counterfeit. A sub-committee of the BCI conducted a thorough investigation, and its orders were subsequently approved by the BCI’s General Council, making the decisions final and binding.
This is not the first instance of such actions in the legal fraternity, but the scale—over 100 individuals—highlights a systemic issue of degree forgery infiltrating professional bodies. Legal experts note that this could set a precedent for similar audits across other state bar councils.
Scope of the Investigation and Findings
The scrutiny extended beyond just LLB degrees to encompass the entire academic history of the individuals involved. In many cases, foundational educational certificates were also deemed fake, underscoring the depth of the deception.
Key examples from the notifications include:
- Joginder Chawla: Removed after his B.Com degree and marksheet were verified as forged.
- Sahibe Alam: Struck off due to a fake Senior Secondary School Certificate.
- Vaibhav Chauhan: His 10th and 12th standard marksheets were found to be counterfeit.
- Shiv Dutt Bakshi, Saket Kumar, and Pawan Kumar: Their BA degrees were declared invalid.
- Other cases involved forged LLB degrees, with some individuals’ graduate qualifications also under question.
The BCD emphasized that these individuals had misrepresented their credentials to gain enrollment, violating ethical standards and undermining public trust in the judiciary.
Special Circumstances and Voluntary Surrenders
Not all cases followed a uniform path. In some instances, proceedings were affected by unforeseen events:
- Mohammad Javed: The inquiry was pending at the time of his death.
- Raminder Singh: His case was closed due to his demise, without delving into the merits of the alleged fake LLB degree.
Additionally, a few individuals chose to cooperate during the process. For example:
- Raghunath K. and Rumman Mati: They voluntarily surrendered their enrollment certificates, acknowledging the irregularities.
These exceptions highlight the humane approach taken by the council in handling sensitive situations, while maintaining the overall rigor of the disciplinary process.
Final Decision and Enforcement Measures
The BCD’s notifications declared that all affected individuals’ names have been “permanently removed from the roll of the Bar Council of Delhi,” with their licenses as advocates revoked with immediate effect. To prevent any further unauthorized practice, the council has taken proactive steps to disseminate the information widely.
Copies of the notifications have been forwarded to a host of key authorities, including:
- The Secretary of the Bar Council of India.
- Secretaries of all State Bar Councils.
- The Registrar General of the Supreme Court of India.
- Registrar Generals of all High Courts.
- All District and Sessions Judges in Delhi.
- The Ministry of Law and Justice.
- The Commissioner of Delhi Police.
Furthermore, all bar associations have been instructed to display these notifications prominently on their notice boards. In specific cases, the removed individuals have been directed to “immediately return their original enrollment certificates and identity cards to the Bar Council of Delhi.”