The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) has suspended Advocate Ranjeeta Vengurlekar from legal practice for a period of two years after finding her guilty of collecting a fake court fee of ₹80,000 from a client under false pretences. The disciplinary action was taken following a complaint lodged by a client who alleged that the advocate had committed fraud.
The order, issued by a three-member Disciplinary Committee of the State Bar Council comprising Chairman U.P. Warunjikar and members S.D. Desai and A.A. Garge, also directed the advocate to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to the complainant within a month of receiving the order.
“Complaint is partly allowed… Sanad (license) of the Respondent is suspended for a period of 2 years and cost of Rs. 25,000/- is granted in favour of the Complainant and the Respondent is directed to pay the said cost within a period of one month from the date of receipt of this notice,” the committee stated in its decision.
The complainant, Abhijeet Jagannath Zadokar, had alleged that Advocate Vengurlekar collected ₹80,000 from him claiming it was for court fees, but produced a bogus receipt. He claimed to have paid ₹1,50,000 in total for legal services and said he suffered an overall loss of approximately ₹21 lakh due to the advocate’s actions. He submitted supporting documents, including payment receipts, WhatsApp messages, and police communication, along with a 65-B Certificate to support the admissibility of electronic evidence.
Vengurlekar denied the allegations, asserting that Zadokar had merely sought legal consultation and that ₹80,000 was indeed towards court fees while ₹50,000 constituted her legal fees. However, despite filing a reply to the complaint on March 20, 2025, neither the advocate nor her legal representative appeared for the proceedings thereafter.
The Disciplinary Committee noted that the evidence presented by the complainant remained unchallenged, and observed, “Not only that the Complainant has produced Affidavit in support of the same and also 65-B Certificate is also produced by the Complainant. Thus prima-facie receipt of Court Fee Stamp of Rs.80,000/- is bogus.”
Based on the available evidence, the Bar Council concluded that the complainant had successfully proved his case. The committee accordingly passed the order of suspension and compensation.
