The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a principal of a law college in Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh for allegedly creating fake attendance records and giving bonafide certificates to several law students in a fraudulent manner, in order for them to enrol as lawyers with the Tamil Nadu Bar Council.
The suspect has been identified as Himavantha Kumar, 54, principal of Smt. Basava Rama Tarakam Memorial Law College, Cuddapah. He was said to have created attendance records showing that that students had the necessary attendance, even though they didn’t attend regular classes.
The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP) had lodged a police complaint against a law graduate, an advocate and another individual for attempting to influence its members and for collecting bribes by misusing their name, in order to get a graduate enrolled as an advocate in the Council.
According to the complaint, the application of B. Vipin, 59, of Villivakkam in Chennai was rejected by the council since he had apparently done his law degree between 2015-18 while serving in the Southern Railway as a guard.
The applicant did not relent and instead appeared to have paid a bribe of ₹25,000 to a lawyer and his accomplice who had promised to get him enrolled by exercising their influence with Bar Council members. Police arrested three people, including Vipin. The case was transferred to CCB for further investigations.
Following an investigation, the CCB found that Vipin had a certificate from the principal showing him he had 80% attendance in law college though Vipin was working with Southern Railway at the time.
