In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed conflicting demands to hold elections to State Bar Councils while verifying advocates' qualifications to eliminate fake lawyers. The Court held that verification cannot indefinitely block elections but must follow a strict time-bound procedure: candidates have 15 days to submit complete applications, State Bar Councils have one month to verify, universities have one month to verify degrees, and elections must occur within 75 days. A retired Supreme Court Judge was directed to supervise the verification process independently. All State Bar Councils must complete verification by 31 December 2017, balancing the need for electoral integrity with timely democratic processes in the legal profession.
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