Delhi HC Stays CBI Probe Into AAP Member Sanjeev Nasiar's Degree

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the order of the Bar Council of India (BCI) recommending a CBI inquiry into the irregularities in the law degree of Sanjeev Nasiar, a lawyer associated with the legal cell of the Aam Aadmi Party, and removing him from the post of Vice Chairperson of the Delhi Bar Council (BCD).

Justice Sanjeev Narula's bench has scheduled the next hearing of the case on January 21, 2025.

Nasiar had challenged BCI's order in the High Court. During the hearing, Vikas Pahwa, who represented Nasiar, said while issuing this order, the BCI did not give him a chance to present his side and instead published the order directly. He said that the BCI's order has not termed Nasiar's degree as fake, but kept it under question.

Advocate Kirtiman Singh, appearing on behalf of BCI, said that the university has said that this degree is correct but has not given any proof to prove it correct. He alleged that the university may be involved in offering fake degree. Singh said that BCD cannot stop BCI from investigating and the latter can itself take action. Singh said that the degree conferred to Nasiar in 1988 was started by BCI in 2008.

Nasiar's advocate argued that the year in which the university gave the degree to Nasiar, it had also given degrees to the judges of High Court and the former Speaker. He alleged that the order was aimed at targeting Nasiar. While seeking interim protection, he said that Nasiar's image is being maligned.

Notably, BCI had recommended a CBI investigation into the irregularities into Nasiar's LLB (Hons) degree at its meeting on December 7. BCI had also passed a resolution to suspend him from the post of Vice Chairman of BCD till the investigation is completed.

Following the order of Delhi High Court, BCI had formed a sub-committee on September 3 to investigate Nasiar's degree. The sub-committee had found irregularities in his degrees and stated that his LLB (Hons) degree from PMB Gujarat Arts and Law College, Indore is unauthorised.

The committee said that Nasiar's law degree was issued in 1998, whereas BCI started this degree in 2008. The committee said that the employees of Devi Ahilyabai University did not cooperate with them in the investigations and even tried to obstruct the probe.

Earlier, a lawyer, Naresh Chand Gupta, had filed a petition in Delhi High Court alleging that Nasiar's degree is fake. He claimed that cases related to the university from which Nasiar got the degree had surfaced on many earlier occasions. The High Court initially said that Nasiar's degree is correct but despite repeated requests from BCI, BCD did not provide the related documents. After this, BCI launched an investigation into this matter.