In what comes as a setback to the legal system of the country, a Bar Council of India's (BCI) two year old verification drive revealed that nearly half the people who claim to be lawyers and are found near courts across the country are fake.
According to media reports, BCI chief Manan Kumar Mishra disclosed this to Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and other senior apex court judges. He told the judges that the results of the drive would help in improving the quality of legal profession in the country.
Reacting to the report, Justice Khehar said BCI's Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules must make sure that people with false or no degrees and people who practice law without proper licence are identified and removed from the legal fraternity.
Noting that at some point of time, everyone would need a good lawyer, Justice Khehar urged the BCI to train young lawyers and make them competent enough to discharge their duties effectively.
