The Bar Council of India (BCI) has removed Sanjeev Nasiar from the post of Vice-Chairman of Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), following discrepancies in his LLB (Honours) degree.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the lawyers body on December 7.
BCI adopted a resolution on Saturday, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the authenticity of the LL.B (H) degree of Nasiar and potential fabrication of related records, along with action against the accused.
As per the resolution, in order to safeguard the integrity and dignity of the legal profession and ensure public confidence in it, the Bar Council of India has decided to remove Nasiar from the position of Vice Chairman of BCD, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The action followed a report submitted by the Sub-Committee on October 25, 2024, regarding enquiry of the LL.B (Hons.) Degree of Nasiar. The sub-committee was constituted on September 3, 2024, on directions from the Delhi High Court.
The report highlighted various irregularities in Nasiar’s academic credentials. iIt said the LLB (Hons. program at PMB Gujarati Arts and Law College, Indore, was unauthorised during the period in question.
It said the records provided by Devi Ahilyabai Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), Indore, appeared tampered, featuring uniform handwriting and ink consistency across multiple entries.
It pointed out that the LLB (Hons) course was only introduced under BCI regulations in 2008, contradicting Nasiar’s degree dated 1988. University officials displayed non-cooperation and obstructed the inquiry process, raising further doubts about the authenticity of the degree.
BCI was conscientious to uphold the prestige and honour of the legal profession and remained resolute in its resolve to uphold its sanctity to ensure that only those meeting the highest standards of ethics and qualifications were permitted to practice law in India, it added.
A writ petition had been filed in the Delhi High Court by one Naresh Chand Gupta, a practicing advocate, alleging that Nasiar had enrolled as an advocate using a forged LLB (Hons) degree.
The petitioner highlighted inconsistencies in Nasiar’s academic documents and cited an earlier case involving forged degrees from the same university.
The university initially affirmed the genuineness of Nasiar’s degree before the High Court.
The High Court noted that despite BCI’s request, BCD did not forward the relevant records and directed the BCD to submit all records to the BCI for further action. After inquiry, BCI noted that the university exhibited conflicting behaviour during verification efforts.
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