In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed proceedings arising from the Bar Council of India's initiative to verify the qualifications of advocates and identify fake lawyers before conducting Bar Council elections. The Court approved the verification framework but set strict timelines. Advocates were given 15 days to submit or correct applications; universities had one month to verify degrees; and State Bar Councils had one month to complete verification. A retired Supreme Court Judge would oversee the process. The Electoral Roll would exclude those with unverified or fraudulent degrees. All proceedings were to conclude by 31 December 2017, with elections to follow. Legally enrolled practitioners could continue their practice uninterrupted during verification."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.