Punjab & Haryana Bar Body Restrains 140 'Advocates' Allegedly Found With Forged & Fabricated Enrollment Certificates From Practising

The Bar Council Of Punjab and Haryana this week restrained 140 people who were practising law from appearing in any court of law after the bar body found them guilty of "possessing forged and fabricated enrolment certificates".

Coincidentally, all such persons were practising and appearing before the courts in the same district (Ludhiana) of Punjab. The bar body called it a scam and a classic case after it found them of possessing forged and fictitious Enrollment Certificates (licence of Advocate) and doing practice at law on the basis of said forged and fictitious licences.

The disciplinary committee of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana comprising CM Munjal, chairman, Harish Rai Dhanda, member, and Vikas Bishnoi, co-opted member, sent the list of such advocates to the Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, for immediate action so that culprits may be booked for the said offence.

"...this is very serious matter, the persons who are even not validly enrolled with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana are doing practice on forged and fabricated certificates and we are of this view that this being very serious matter where there is an apparent forgery and fabrication. The proper investigation is to be required by the police by registration of FIR against, all concerned persons who are part and parcel of this forgery," the committee observed in its order passed on Wednesday.

The bar's disciplinary committee was essentially dealing with the complaint of an Advocate of Ludhiana, named David Gill filed against one Parminder Singh who has been enrolled as an Advocate alleging that he doesn't possess a valid license.

During the course of the hearing, the disciplinary committee formed a three-member internal committee to check the licences of all members of the District Bar Association. The Committee comprising Rajesh Kumar, Rahul Grover and Pardeep Sharma submitted their report by showing the chart after comparing the voter lists provided by the Bar Association Ludhiana and from the records of the Bar Council.

After the scrutiny of the records from the year 2000 to 2021, it was found that a total of 140 Advocates of Ludhiana were practising on non-existent enrollment numbers