Above: Lawyers at the Supreme Court. Photo: Anil Shakya

The Supreme Court on Friday (November 24) set March 31, 2018 as the deadline for the verification of all certificates of advocates leading up to the bar elections at different states.

The bench was informed that of the 15 lakh registered lawyers only 6 lakh have sent in their verified certificates. This is presumably because the universities lack the manpower to handle the rush.

This came about off a petition pertaining to certificate of verification for advocates. The court on the last hearing read the status report submitted by most of the state bar councils and since most of the state bar councils stated their difficulty in concluding the verification on time .

The deadline was ordered on Friday. The order also said: “The Bar Council of India was to carry on the pre-election screening and arrangement process from December 30 to February 15, 2018.

—India Legal Bureau