In a shocking disclosure, the Bar Council Chairperson said that nearly 35–40 per cent of advocates possess fake degrees and are practising in courts using fabricated certificates. Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra added that the BCI is already taking corrective step.
The Chairperson of the Bar Council stated that around 35–40% of advocates reportedly hold fake degrees and are practicing in courts based on forged degree certificates.
Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, the BCI Chairperson, said the BCI is aware of the problem and is already working on measures to address it.
Speaking to IANS in Delhi, Mishra said,
“The Chief Justice was referring to those who obtain fake degrees, wear black coats, bands, and robes, and appear in court. That statement was about them. The background of that situation was different.”
Mishra also claimed that about 35–40% of lawyers in India may have fake degrees. He added that when the Bar Council of India began verifying credentials, around 40% of advocates did not submit the verification forms, and these advocates are therefore suspected of having fake qualifications.
He further said the matter was brought to CJI Surya Kant’s notice, and that the CJI reportedly sought a CBI probe.
Mishra made these comments in connection with the Cockroach Janata Party social media campaign, which took off after an oral remark by the Chief Justice.
Earlier, On 15 May, the Chief Justice of India sparked controversy by comparing unemployed young people to cockroaches, reportedly saying they later become media, social media, and RTI activists and begin targeting the system.
The following day, Kant clarified his remarks, stating,
“I am pained to read how a section of the media has misquoted my oral observations made during the hearing of a frivolous case yesterday.”
He emphasized that his comments were meant only for individuals who allegedly infiltrate the legal system through fake and bogus degrees, and said his remarks had been misquoted by a section of the media.
The uproar led to the viral, satirical Cockroach Janta Party social media movement, which quickly attracted millions of followers, saw its X account suspended, and eventually surpassed the BJP’s follower numbers on Instagram.
Mishra, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, argued that the CJI’s remarks were aimed at advocates who practise law with degrees he suspects are fake.
Adding that the Bar Council will release a detailed media statement on the matter the next day, he said,
“Their degrees are absolutely fake; they manufactured them somewhere or bought them from somewhere, and on that basis, they are practicing in courts,”
He also claimed the issue of lawyers with fake degrees was raised by him as far back as 2015, during a Lawyers Meet organised by the Bar Council in Chennai.