The Bar Council of Kerala has identified more than 22,000 lawyers on its rolls who remain unverified or unaccounted for [1], [2].
This discrepancy threatens the legal standing of thousands of practitioners and raises concerns about the prevalence of fake credentials within the state's judicial system.
According to records, there are a total of 81,000 lawyers on the Bar Council of Kerala rolls [1]. However, only 27,000 of those individuals possess the mandatory certificates of practice [1]. The remaining gap reveals a significant lack of oversight in the registration process.
Approximately 25,000 lawyers have certificates that are currently pending verification with various universities [1]. This verification process is essential to confirm that the practitioners hold legitimate law degrees before they are permitted to represent clients in court.
Beyond those awaiting university confirmation, over 22,000 lawyers are classified as completely unverified or unaccounted for in the council's records [1], [2]. The council is now conducting a drive to resolve these inconsistencies, a move intended to purge the rolls of unqualified individuals.
The mandatory nature of the practice certificate serves as the primary safeguard for the public. Without this verification, the council cannot guarantee that a lawyer has met the educational and ethical requirements to practice law in India.
While the total number of lawyers stands at 81,000 [1], the breakdown of certified, pending, and unaccounted members does not sum perfectly to that total. This suggests further irregularities in the historical record-keeping of the council.
“Over 22,000 lawyers are classified as completely unverified or unaccounted for in the council's records.”
The discovery of thousands of unverified lawyers suggests a systemic failure in the administrative oversight of legal licensing in Kerala. By auditing these rolls, the Bar Council is attempting to protect the integrity of the legal profession and ensure that only qualified individuals provide legal counsel, which reduces the risk of fraud and professional malpractice.
