Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Friday questioned the genuineness of law degrees held by some advocates in Delhi and said he was considering seeking a CBI probe into the matter.
The remarks came during a hearing related to a plea seeking senior advocate designation.
According to reports, the bench refused to entertain the application and said senior designation was “a status to be conferred and not to be legally pursued”.
Expressing anger over repeated petitions, the Chief Justice said he had serious doubts about the credentials of several lawyers practising in Delhi courts and alleged that the Bar Council of India would not act because it was “in collusion”.
“I want the CBI to verify the LLB degrees of most of the Delhi people,” he said, adding that “thousands of them are fraudulent people who are wearing black robes.”
Justice Surya Kant also referred to comments being made on social media by some lawyers and said the judiciary was monitoring such posts.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice made controversial remarks about unemployed youth and activists, saying some people “become media, some become social media, some become RTI activists” and begin “attacking everyone”.
“There are already parasites of society who attack the system,” he said. He also used the term “cockroaches” while referring to unemployed youngsters critical of institutions.
The court further questioned whether the senior advocate designation was being treated as a “status symbol to be kept ornamentally”.
The bench ultimately declined to entertain the plea seeking senior designation.