Alleging that some universities in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were selling law degrees for a price without imparting legal education to candidates, a lawyer has moved the Madras HC (Madurai Bench) seeking to ban such ‘law graduates’ from practising as advocates.
Justice N Kirubakaran before whom the petition came up hearing, acknowledged there were complaints about this in the past and issued notices to the Secretaries of the Union Law and Human Resource Development Departments, Bar Council of India, Law Commission of India, UGC Chairman.
Hence the Judge issued notice to Union Secretary of Human Resources Department, Union Secretary, Law and Justice, Bar Council of India, Law Commission of India, Chairman of UGC, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Secretary of Karnataka, TN Bar Council and to all the Bar Associations affiliated with the Madras HC. He asked them to implead in the case.
Petitioner V Ramesh submitted that the legal profession is being polluted by individuals who had enrolled as advocates after obtaining a LLB degree from other States especially AP and Karnataka. The law degrees in these States were being sold by universities he said and submitted a telephone transcript recording the conversation between an ‘aspiring’ law college candidate and a college mediator to substantiate his charge. These law degrees were awarded to students without attending regular college. The exam is written by agents/brokers, who sell the seats to candidates from TN. Petitioner’s counsel Peter Ramesh Kumar said such bogus degree certificates were used to enroll in bar associations in TN. Justice Kirubakaran said he too was aware of such cases and cited a case where the name of a Member of Parliament was omitted from the bar as he had obtained a law degree from a college which functioned on roof of a petrol bunk.
Pointing out recent news reports about involvement of some lawyers in criminal activities, the judge observed that the legal profession has been stained by such persons.