Crackdown on Fake Law Degrees: BCI Tightens Verification to Safeguard Legal Integrity

The Bar Council of India has intensified efforts against fake law degrees following a troubling report from Chaudhary Charan Singh University. With potential widespread fraudulent enrollments, BCI mandates comprehensive advocate verification, emphasizing the integrity of the legal profession and adherence to statutory processes and practices.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has initiated rigorous actions against fraudulent law degree cases after a concerning report from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, revealed 13 instances of fake degrees. This problem appears systemic, with indications of hundreds more fraudulent enrollments in Delhi, posing a severe threat to the legal field.

BCI has ordered all State Bar Councils to expedite a thorough advocate verification process, prioritizing the detection of fake enrollments. As per the Advocates Act, 1961, non-compliance with this verification mandate will lead to legal consequences. The legitimacy to remove advocate enrollments lies exclusively with the BCI following a proper referral process.

A Supreme Court-backed High-Powered Committee is monitoring BCI's verification initiatives, ensuring compliance with amended Rule 32, which governs practicing advocates' participation in elections. The BCI also calls out certain educational institutions for hindering verification processes, urging immediate adherence to Supreme Court directives to maintain the legal profession's trustworthiness.

(With inputs from agencies.)