The Supreme Court of India on Friday voiced serious concern over the rising number of individuals allegedly practising law with fake or dubious degrees, and observed that the Central Bureau of Investigation may need to look into the matter.
Hearing a petition related to the designation of senior advocates, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi remarked that there appeared to be “thousands” of people in legal robes whose credentials were questionable. The court said it was waiting for an appropriate case to direct a CBI probe into the authenticity of law degrees held by some advocates, particularly in Delhi.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice also referred to social media activity by certain lawyers, saying their posts on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube raised doubts about their professional conduct and qualifications.
The Bench made the observations while considering a plea that alleged the Delhi High Court had not complied with Supreme Court guidelines on the designation of senior advocates. The court declined to entertain the petition.
When the petitioner’s counsel apologised during the proceedings, the Chief Justice cautioned against what he described as increasingly hostile commentary targeting the judiciary. He remarked that segments of society were routinely criticising institutions and urged members of the legal profession not to align with such conduct.
The court also criticised the tone of certain social media posts by the petitioner’s lawyer, Sanjay Dubey, and emphasised the need for discipline within the profession. Justice Bagchi, meanwhile, questioned whether the designation of senior advocate was being reduced to a status symbol rather than a recognition of meaningful contribution to the justice system.
The petitioner later withdrew the plea. He had initially challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision not to consider him for senior advocate designation and later filed a contempt petition alleging non-compliance with earlier Supreme Court directions, which had already been dismissed last year.
(With inputs from ANI)