The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), acting on directives from the Bar Council of India (BCI), has permanently removed the names of over 100 individuals from its roll of advocates. The decisive action was taken after their educational qualifications, primarily LL.B degrees and graduation mark sheets, were reported to be fake or forged by the concerned universities. The BCD’s notifications cancel their licenses to practice law with immediate effect due to fraudulent enrolment based on misrepresentation.
Background of the Action
Through a series of notifications issued between June 2023 and September 2025, the Bar Council of Delhi, a statutory body constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961, published the names and details of the individuals whose enrolments have been invalidated.
The removals were executed under the authority of the Proviso to Section 26(1) of the Advocates Act, 1961. The official notifications, signed by Col Arun Sharma (Retd), Secretary of the Bar Council of Delhi, state that the action was taken because the advocates’ “LL.B /Graduation Degree/Marks Sheet reported to be Fake/Forged and Enrolled with Bar Council of Delhi by Misrepresentation.”
Disciplinary Proceedings and Findings
The process for removal was initiated after the respective universities that had supposedly issued the degrees reported them to be fraudulent. Following these reports, a Sub-Committee of the Bar Council of India conducted removal proceedings. The notifications detail that the orders passed by the BCI’s Sub-Committee were subsequently “ratified by the General Council of the Bar Council of India,” giving finality to the removal.
The grounds for removal were not limited to fake LL.B degrees. The verification process scrutinized the entire educational history of the enrolled individuals. In several cases, the foundational academic certificates were found to be forged.
- The removal of Mr. Joginder Chawla was due to his B.Com Degree/Mark Sheet being reported as fake/forged.
- Mr. Sahibey Alam was removed because his Senior Secondary School certificate was found to be fake.
- Mr. Vaibhav Chauhan was removed after his 10th & 12th Mark Sheets were reported as fake/forged.
- The B.A degrees of Mr. Shiv Dutt Bakshi, Mr. Saket Kumar, and Mr. Pawan Kumar were also found to be fraudulent.
The notifications also recorded unique circumstances in some cases. For instance, it was noted that Mr. Mohd Javed had passed away during the pendency of the removal proceedings against him. In another case concerning Mr. Raminder Singh, the proceedings were concluded due to his death “without going on the merits of Fake/Forged LL.B Degree.” A few individuals, including Mr. Raghunath K. and Mr. Rumman Mati, voluntarily surrendered their enrolment certificates during the proceedings.
Decision of the Council
The Bar Council of Delhi has declared that the names of all mentioned persons “have been removed permanently from the Roll of the Bar Council of Delhi and License to practice as an Advocates stands cancelled with immediate effect.”
To ensure compliance and prevent these individuals from continuing to practice law, the notifications have been forwarded to key authorities across the country. The recipients include the Secretary of the Bar Council of India, Secretaries of all State Bar Councils, the Registrar General of the Supreme Court of India, Registrars General of all High Courts, all District & Sessions Judges in Delhi, the Ministry of Law & Justice, and the Commissioner of Police, New Delhi.
Furthermore, all Bar Associations have been requested “to display this Notification on their Notice Board.” In at least one instance, the removed individuals were explicitly directed “to return your original Enrolment Certificate and Identity Card to Bar Council of Delhi immediately.”
