Bar Council of India removes 107 'fake' lawyers from its roll in Delhi

New Delhi: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has removed names of 107 fake lawyers from its roll between 2019 and October 2024 in Delhi as a part of its ongoing drive to maintain "integrity and professionalism".

"This decisive action is aimed at eliminating fake advocates and those who no longer meet the standards of legal practice. By doing so, the BCI has tried to continue to protect the public's trust and the legal system itself from unethical practices," read a BCI statement on October 26.

BCI secretary Srimanto Sen said the names of 107 fake lawyers have been struck off from the roll in Delhi alone as part of its ongoing effort to maintain the integrity and professionalism of the legal community.

"Between 2019 and June 23, 2023, several thousands of fake advocates were removed after a thorough investigation into their credentials and practices. These removals are largely due to issues of fake and forged certificates, and misrepresentation during enrolment. Besides, failure to actively practise law, and non-compliance with the Bar Council's verification processes also gets advocates' names removed from active practice," read the statement.

The top court has been passing orders in cases related to the removal of fake lawyers from the legal profession.

"The fake advocates are identified through continuous investigations conducted by the bar council and the high-powered committee constituted by the apex court in the case of Ajay Shanker Srivastava v. Bar Council of India … Some of the cases relating to forgery had been under review before the rule change, while others were addressed after the amendment," it said.