Fake reviews using names of CJIs and Supreme Court judges were found on lawyer neckbands sold by Lawkart. The Rs.499 “Premium Cotton” product drew legal fraternity’s attention after a lawyer exposed the fake endorsements from top legal figures.
An e-commerce platform called Lawkart, which sells “Premium Cotton” lawyer neckbands priced at Rs.499, recently drew attention within the legal fraternity after a lawyer noticed that the product listing carried glowing yet fake reviews allegedly written by eminent legal personalities including senior advocates, Supreme Court judges, and even former Chief Justices of India.
Following a LinkedIn post by Pune-based lawyer Ankur Jahagirdar, the e-commerce website Lawkart.in has drawn attention for selling neckbands designed for practicing advocates. Initially priced at Rs 1,799, the neckband is now available for Rs 499 as part of a promotional sale.
Jahagirdar pointed out in his post that even this reduced price is significantly higher than the typical cost for such items, which can be found for approximately Rs 20 in court premises.
However, the most striking feature of this product is not its pricing but the extensive review section, which includes endorsements allegedly from some of the most distinguished figures in the Indian judiciary and legal community.
In his post, Jahagirdar noted,
“The reviewers? Justice SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Arun Mishra, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Rohinton Nariman etc. It’s basically more or less the same script in all these fake reviews.”
Examples of these reviews include:
- Justice Uday Lalit: “Love the professional dotted design and comfortable material. The band was slightly tight initially but overall impressive for maintaining proper advocate dress standards in court.”
- Justice Deepak Gupta: “This advocate neck band with dotted design is absolutely elegant! The pattern looks professional, and the quality feels premium. Perfect fit around my collar and adds that authentic advocate touch to my court attire.”
- Justice DY Chandrachud: “The advocate neck band arrived well-packaged and looks exactly like professional legal accessories. The dotted pattern is distinctive, and the quality is suitable for regular court use.”
The nature of these reviews raises questions about their authenticity. The list includes the current Chief Justice of India, several former Chief Justices, Supreme Court judges, senior advocates, and political leaders.
Many reviews are dated between three to five months ago and even feature endorsements from prominent legal figures who have passed away.
Most of the reviews give high ratings to the neckband, and as Jahagirdar highlights, they follow a similar script. For instance, a review attributed to former CJI Justice SA Bobde states, “Perfect for advocate dress code requirements. The band adds authenticity to my legal attire and the dotted pattern is comfortable during long hearings. Quality excellent throughout.”
Another review, allegedly by former CJI Justice UU Lalit, claims, “Love the professional dotted design and comfortable material. The band was slightly tight initially but overall impressive for maintaining proper advocate dress standards in court.”
Former CJI Justice DY Chandrachud supposedly reviewed the band twice, noting in one instance that it “Arrived well-packaged and looks exactly like professional legal accessories. The dotted pattern is distinctive, and the quality is suitable for regular court use.”
Former CJI Justice NV Ramana is also quoted saying, “Using this for my court appearances and it works perfectly. The dotted design gives that traditional advocate look that judges and clients expect from legal professionals.”
Even the current Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai, and the next CJI, Justice Surya Kant, supposedly remarked,
“Colleagues always notice the professional dotted pattern!” and The neck band looks decent, but material quality could be better. Dotted pattern is nice, but fabric feels slightly thin. Functional for court dress but not premium quality,” .
The website also appears to include reviews from former Supreme Court judges and senior advocates.
Justice Rohinton Nariman is quoted as saying, “This neck band brings elegance to advocate attire. The dotted pattern is sophisticated and the quality feels premium. Every legal professional should have this for proper court dress.”
Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who recently retired from the Supreme Court, commented, “Nice addition to my legal attire collection. The neck band reminds everyone of proper advocate dress and looks sophisticated during moot court competitions. Quality decent overall.”
Additional purported reviews come from Justice Deepak Gupta, Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Madan Lokur, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, former Attorney General KK Venugopal, King’s Counsel Harish Salve, and Senior Advocates like Mukul Rohatgi, Kapil Sibal, P. Chidambaram, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Dushyant Dave, Indira Jaising, among others.
Absurdly, the product page also features reviews from Senior Advocates Fali Nariman, Soli Sorabjee, and Ram Jethmalani who have all passed away dated three to five months ago.
Notably, the reviews are not limited to legal professionals; they also include endorsements from well-known political figures such as Shashi Tharoor, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sachin Pilot, Bhupinder Hooda, Ajay Maken, Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, and others.