‘Ensure police verification before issuance of new licences to practise law’

Prayagraj: Hearing a plea regarding advocates with a criminal background, the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that police verification is carried out before the issuance of new licences to practise law.

Disposing of the writ petition filed by one Pawan Kumar Dubey, a

division bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Vinod Diwakar directed the government and the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh to issue necessary directions forthwith and ensure that the police verification reports are summoned from the police stations concerned with regard to all the pending and fresh applications for issuance of licence, as is being done for the issuance of passports.

‘Such due diligence procedure would ensure that a person who may carry a criminal history and who may conceal that information be prevented from misleading the Bar Council in obtaining a licence.

A provisional licence issued pending an adverse police report may be cancelled upon such a report being submitted,’ the court said.