PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 17 -- 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 and the remaining 30% are still under review," 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. "Some of these individuals have been practising for two to three decades," he said. 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. The UP Board, tasked with verifying high school (Class 10) and intermediate (Class 12) certificates, has received 1.5 lakh documents. "So far, 12 fake certificates of practising lawyers have been confirmed. Most records from 1970-2000 require manual checking, which is time-consuming," said Satendra Kumar, additional secretary (Administration), UP Board. Certificates issued after 2003 are easier to verify due to digitisation. While the Bar Council has assured strict action, including cancellation of registrations and submission of a report to the Supreme Court-appointed high powered committee, insiders say the issue is being handled discreetly to avoid tarnishing the profession's image ahead of the Council elections scheduled for January 2026. The nomination process for electing 25 members of the UP Bar Council began on Friday, even as the verification drive continues. As per Council officials, the nominations will be filed till November 19, followed by scrutiny of nominations between November 20-21, withdrawal of nominations on November 27 and the final list of candidates would be declared on November 28. Voting is likely to be held in January 2026 in four phases across the state....