Fake Court Fee Scam| Advocate Suspended for 2 Years by Bar Council For Charging Client Rs.80,000

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In a fake court fee scam, Advocate Ranjeeta Vengurlekar was suspended from legal practice for two years by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa for fraudulently charging a client Rs.80,000 as court fees.

The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) suspended Advocate Ranjeeta Vengurlekar from practicing law for two years after finding her guilty of charging a fraudulent court fee of Rs.80,000 from a client.

The disciplinary action requires her to pay Rs.25,000 in compensation to the client.

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The order issued by the State Bar Council’s Disciplinary Committee states,

“Complaint is partly allowed…Sanad (license) of the Respondent is suspended for a period of 2 years and cost of Rs. 25,000/- is granted in favour of the Complainant and the Respondent is directed to pay the said cost within a period of one month from the date of receipt of this notice.”

The client, Abhijeet Jagannath Zadokar, alleged that Vengurlekar committed fraud by collecting Rs.80,000 for court fees and providing a fake receipt. He claimed to have paid a total of Rs.1,50,000 for legal services and suffered a loss of around Rs.21 lakh due to the advocate’s actions.

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Supporting evidence, including police communications, payment records, and WhatsApp messages, was submitted to the BCMG.

Vengurlekar denied all allegations, asserting that Zadokar had only sought legal consultation from her and that the Rs.80,000 was for court fees, while Rs.50,000 was her legal fee.

She submitted a reply to the complaint on March 20, 2025, but neither she nor her counsel participated in the proceedings.

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The Disciplinary Committee, consisting of BCMG Chairman UP Warunjikar and members SD Desai and AA Garge, concluded that the evidence presented remained unchallenged, and the complainant successfully proved his case.

“Not only that the Complainant has produced Affidavit in support of the same and also 65-B Certificate is also produced by the Complainant. Thus prima-facie receipt of Court Fee Stamp of Rs.80,000/- is bogus.”

Based on these findings, the BCMG partly granted the application and suspended the advocate for two years.

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