Kerala: 22,000 Lawyers on Bar Council Rolls Yet to Verify Degrees

Over 22,000 lawyers enrolled with the Bar Council of Kerala (BCK) have not yet undergone the mandatory law degree verification process, according to official data. The council currently has approximately 81,000 lawyers on its rolls. Under new rules, only those who have verified their law degrees and obtained Certificates of Practice (CoP) will be permitted to file petitions on behalf of clients in courts.

The verification exercise was intensified in recent years following complaints about individuals practising law with fake credentials. The need to update the electoral roll ahead of Bar Council elections also accelerated the process. However, delays in verifying degree certificates from various universities have meant the process remains incomplete, legal sources said.

Of the 81,000 lawyers, 27,000 have been issued CoPs. Certificates for another 20,000 lawyers who cleared the All India Bar Examination since 2010 have been forwarded for verification. Applications for 5,000 lawyers enrolled before 2010 are pending with universities, said K.N. Anilkumar, former chairperson and former convener of the CoP monitoring committee.

So far, only one case of a fake law degree has been detected in Kerala. As courts increasingly shift to online filing, an AI-assisted system will be introduced to instantly verify lawyers' details, including their CoP status. Lawyers without a CoP will be automatically barred from filing petitions, Anilkumar said.

Regarding the 22,000 lawyers whose certificates could not be screened, some may be deceased, while others may have left active practice or the profession altogether. The respective bar associations are better placed to ascertain their status, he added.

The Bar Council of Kerala is a statutory body that sets standards for professional conduct and legal education, and recognises universities whose law degrees qualify for enrolment. It was earlier suggested in the coordination committee that a deadline for submitting applications be fixed, and that those who fail to apply be listed as non-practising advocates. Such lawyers would not be allowed to appear in court unless they resume practice through the prescribed procedure.

The future course of action will be decided by the incoming council. Though members of the 13th Bar Council have been elected, the committee has not yet assumed office. The Kerala Chief Justice will soon nominate a senior woman lawyer and a former woman High Court judge to the committee, as directed by the Supreme Court, sources said.