PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 18 -- The Uttar Pradesh Bar Council says it has uncovered over 350 fake lawyers so far practising in courts across the state, including the Allahabad High Court besides district and tehsil courts of UP, even as a Supreme Court-mandated verification drive continues. These individuals allegedly secured enrolment using fraudulent educational certificates, ranging from high school and intermediate degrees to fake law degrees. The discovery comes amid the ongoing verification drive launched in October 2023 following directives from the Supreme Court to all state bar councils. The exercise aims to authenticate the educational credentials of lawyers enrolled with the UP Bar Council, which currently boasts over 4.5 lakh members. "The final number of fake lawyers is yet to be determined as verification is still underway. So far, more than 350 cases have surfaced," confirmed UP Bar Council Chairman Shiv Kishor Gaur, adding that all such individuals have been barred from voting in the upcoming UP Bar Council elections. According to UP Bar Council secretary and election officer Ram Kishore Shukla, this is the first time such a large-scale scrutiny of lawyers' educational documents has been undertaken. "Around 70% of the certificates have been verified so far," he said. The process involves cross-checking Class 10, Class 12, graduation, and LLB degrees submitted by lawyers. Each lawyer was required to pay a nominal fee of Rs 250 for verification. So far, 9.5 lakh certificates have been received from approximately 2.7 lakh lawyers members of the UP Bar Council. Former Council chairman Panchu Ram Maurya, who initiated the verification process during his tenure in late 2023, warned that the final count of fake lawyers could exceed 600. A Council member revealed that four senior lawyers with 25-30 years of practice were recently found using fake degrees in the Varanasi district court. Similar cases have emerged in Jaunpur and Mirzapur district courts also, claimed a Council member. "So far, 12 fake certificates of lawyers have been confirmed. Most records from 1970-2000 require manual checking," said Satendra Kumar, additional secretary (Administration), UP Board....