Court grants bail to man accused of forging law certificate, asks Bar Council to conduct inquiry

A court here has allowed the bail plea of a man accused of enrolling as an advocate on the basis of forged certificates, and has asked the Bar Council of Delhi to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

The court was hearing the bail plea of Sumit Sharma, who is accused of forging his law degree's provisional certificate along with the second and third-year mark sheets to start practising as an advocate.

Sharma enrolled himself with the Bar Council of Delhi in July 2014 even though the mark sheet of his law degree issued by the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University in Agra was declared in 2015, the prosecution said.

"The accused has been in custody since October 13, 2022, and considering the fact that the evidence is documentary in nature and in the overall facts and circumstances of the case, I allow the present bail application," additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat said in an order passed on November 22.

The judge directed the accused to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with two local sureties of the like amount.

"For this limited purpose of bail, it appears that the accused did enrol himself with the Bar Council of Delhi even prior to the result for his LLB (Bachelor of Law) examination being announced, based on mark sheets, not issued at the relevant time," the court said.

Rejecting the argument that the investigating officer and deputy commissioner of police (DCP) concerned had "framed" the accused, the court said, "The contention appears to be totally incorrect, considering the investigation done so far." "Considering the fact that it appears that the accused is a practising lawyer and the allegations of having secured the enrolment with the Bar Council of Delhi with some fake certificate is the question and prima facie established, copy of this order be sent to Bar Council of Delhi for conducting inquiry and action at their end," the court said.

The Anand Vihar police station had registered an FIR against Sharma under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 34 (common intention) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.