NEW DELHI: Delhi Police said on Wednesday that they have arrested an advocate who had allegedly submitted a fake law degree to the Bar Council of India. However, the police action did not go down well with the lawyer associations across the national capital as they abstained from work in protest against the alleged arbitrary decision of the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said a case under various sections of the IPC was registered on the complaint of Jai Prakash Gupta. The complainant stated that he had sought information under the RTI Act from Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra on the genuineness of the LLB degree of the accused advocate, identified as Sumit Sharma.
The complainant received a reply from the university stating that ‘advocate’ Sumit Sharma passed only the first year of LLB in 2010 from Vrindavan Law College, Mathura, UP, which is affiliated with Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra (UP). and failed in the second year and third year. The complainant further alleged that the accused had submitted a false, forged and fabricated mark sheet of LLB’s 2nd year and 3rd year along with a provisional certificate from the university.
“During the course of the inquiry, it was found that Sumit Sharma prepared forged mark sheets of LLB and used these documents for enrollment in the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD),” DCP Sathiyasundaram said.
He said after probing the matter, the accused Advocate was arrested. The coordination committee of Delhi District Courts Bar Associations said that the arrest was “arbitrary and illegal” as the Delhi Police encroached on the jurisdiction of Bar Council of Delhi (BCD).
North Delhi Lawyers’ Association Secretary Vineet Jindal said that Advocate Sumit Sharma, practising in the district courts Shahdara, was illegally arrested, alleging that his LL.B degree was fake. However, on verification by the Bar Council of Delhi, it was found to be genuine and verified by the university concerned.
The Bar Council of Delhi, in a letter to DCP Shahdara on September 2, had informed the police that they got the degree verified from the said university and found it genuine. “Since the bar council got two different versions i.e. one through the complainant and the other through the university, the Bar Council of Delhi again sent both the documents for re-verification.
‘Submitted false, forged & fabricated marksheet’
The complainant further alleged that the accused had submitted a false, forged and fabricated mark sheet of LLB’s 2nd year and 3rd year along with a provisional certificate of the university