Kanpur: The Bar Council of UP lodged FIRs against around 100 advocates across the state who obtained licences to practise law on the basis of forged educational degrees. Six of the advocates are from Kanpur Nagar, according to officials.The Kanpur-based advocates facing action include Pankaj Kumar of Kalyanpur, Jai Narayan Katiyar of Barra, Vikas Rajput of Jarauli Phase-I, Praveen Saxena of Awas Vikas, Kalyanpur, Anita Jain and Kamaruddin.The action follows an order passed by the Allahabad High Court on Jun 3, in the writ petition Mohammad Kafeel vs State of UP. The court directed the Bar Council of UP to lodge FIRs against advocates whose degrees were forged as per verification conducted under the Bar Council of India Certificate and Place of Practice Verification Rules, 2015.During verification, it was found that degrees and educational documents submitted by the six Kanpur advocates were forged.Pankaj Kumar’s degree from Shobhit University, Meerut, Jai Narayan Katiyar’s degree from Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Sagar, and Vikas Rajput’s degree from Mangalayatan University, Aligarh, were found invalid during verification, sources said.The marksheet submitted by Praveen Saxena from the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad was also found dubious, while LLB degrees of Anita Jain and Kamaruddin also proved to be forged.The development comes amid police crackdown on a racket involved in the manufacture and use of forged degrees and marksheets in Kanpur. Kidwai Nagar police earlier busted a major racket and subsequently a printing press allegedly involved in printing fake educational documents was detected in Chamanganj area. Pheelkhana and Kalyanpur police too arrested several people in connection with such cases.More than a dozen people have been arrested and sent to jail in connection with forged degree and marksheet cases, while police seized around 1,200 forged educational documents. Kidwai Nagar police reportedly seized 1,000 forged degrees, some of which were law degrees.Police claimed some advocates were practising in Kanpur courts on the basis of these forged educational qualifications. The latest action by the Bar Council is expected to further intensify scrutiny of the educational credentials of advocates practising in the city.
