Madras HC directs Chennai police to book ‘advocate’ with fake degree – Times of India

CHENNAI: Taken aback by a fake law degree certificate produced by a petitioner, who falsely claimed that it was allegedly issued by Bharathidasan University, Madras high court has ordered a criminal probe into the issue.
“Even a naked eye would be able to establish that it is a fake one. In the certificate, in the Tamil version, it has been mentioned, as if Babu had studied history and secured first class in law and to the contrary, in the English version, it has been ascribed as if he had secured second class in law,” a division bench of S Vaidyanathan and Justice A D Jagadish Chandira said on Friday.
The court then directed the Chennai police commissioner to depute an officer not below the rank of assistant commissioner from CCB and register a case against Babu and conduct detailed investigation.
“Creation of false documents have been mushrooming now-a-days and such persons involved in the offences should be crushed with iron hands and they shall not be allowed to go Scot-free,” it said.
The issue pertains to a habeas corpus plea moved by D Shanthi seeking to trace and produce her adopted son who is under illegal custody of one S Babu who claimed to be an advocate. When the plea came up for hearing, the court directed Babu to produce his law degree certificate to verify his claim as an advocate. To the shock and surprise of the court, Babu produced a certificate allegedly issued by Bharathidasan University. Counsel for Bharathidasan University informed the court that the certificate is fake. When the court pointed out the same to Babu, instead of repenting for his act, he claimed that he had studied and completed law in Government Law College, Trichy and is a law graduate.
He further claimed that he had enrolled with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and showed an identity card issued by the council.
The court said, “It is stated that after the formation of Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University with effect from October 3, 1997, no other university is empowered to issue degree certificates in law and as such, it is clear that the claim of Babu is totally false.”