BCI Suspends Bar Council Of Delhi Vice Chairman Over Alleged Fake LL.B. Degree, Resolves To Refer Probe To CBI

The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Saturday (December 7) resolved to refer alleged irregularities in the LL.B. (Hons.) degree of Sanjeev Nasiar, Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), to the CBI for investigation.

BCI also removed Nasiar from the position of Vice-Chairman of the BCD pending the outcome of the investigation, calling the degree “highly questionable”.

“The report dated 25.10.2024 of the Sub-Committee regarding enquiry of the LL.B (Hons.) Degree of Mr. Sanjeev Nasiar is hereby adopted. The Secretary, Bar Council of India is directed to approach the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the request to hold an immediate investigation into the authenticity of the LL.B. (Hons.) Degree of Mr. Sanjeev Nasiar and potential fabrication of related records and take appropriate action. Pending the outcome of the investigation, Mr. Sanjeev Nasiar is removed from the position of Vice Chairman, Bar Council of Delhi”, as per the resolution.

This decision was taken in a meeting held on December 7, 2024. The BCI resolved to initiate action following an inquiry by a sub-committee constituted on September 3, 2024, and acting on directions from the Delhi High Court.

The sub-committee's investigation highlighted several discrepancies in Nasiar's academic credentials:

1. The LL.B. (Hons.) program at P.M.B. Gujarati Arts and Law College, Indore, was unauthorized during the period in question.
2. Records provided by Devi Ahilyabai Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), Indore, appeared tampered, featuring uniform handwriting and ink consistency across multiple entries.
3. The LL.B. (Hons.) course was only introduced under BCI regulations in 2008, contradicting Nasiar's degree dated 1988.
4. University officials displayed non-cooperation and obstructed the inquiry process, raising further doubts about the authenticity of the degree.

In its December 7 resolution, the BCI adopted the sub-committee's report dated October 25, 2024. The BCI emphasized that these measures aim to preserve the integrity of the legal profession and public confidence in the bar.

“This measure is necessary to safeguard the integrity and dignity of the legal profession and ensure public confidence in it. The Bar Council of India is conscientious to uphold the prestige and honour of the legal profession and remains resolute in its resolve to uphold its sanctity to ensure that only those meeting the highest standards of ethics and qualifications are permitted to practice law in India.”

Background

The inquiry stems from a writ petition filed by Naresh Chand Gupta, a practicing advocate, alleging that Nasiar had enrolled as an advocate using a forged LL.B. (Hons.) degree. The petitioner highlighted inconsistencies in Nasiar's academic documents and cited an earlier case involving forged degrees from the same university.

In the proceedings before the Delhi High Court, the university initially affirmed the genuineness of Nasiar's degree. The High Court noted that despite BCI's request, BCD did not forward the relevant records and directed the BCD to submit all records to the BCI for further action. After inquiry, BCI noted that the university exhibited conflicting behaviour during verification efforts.