Silchar Court Delivers Justice in 17-Year-Old Fake Lawyer Case
After a prolonged legal battle spanning nearly two decades, a local court in Silchar has finally delivered justice in a remarkable case of legal impersonation. On Saturday, the court of first-class judicial magistrate B Hossain Mazumdar sentenced Altaf Hussain Barbhuiya to six months imprisonment for fraudulently practicing law for several years using forged educational credentials.
The Unraveling of a Legal Deception
The resident of Saidpur in Cachar district had managed to secure membership from the Advocates' Bar Association by submitting a fabricated certificate claiming he had studied at Karimganj Law College and passed his final-year LLB examination with first-class marks. For years, Barbhuiya successfully practiced as a lawyer in the Cachar court, until his elaborate deception came crashing down in 2008 when a formal complaint exposed his fraudulent activities.
The investigation revealed that Barbhuiya had never actually passed his final-year examination, let alone secured first-class marks as claimed in his application. The Bar Association's verification process with Karimganj Law College confirmed that although the accused had attended classes, he had never cleared the crucial final-year exam that would have qualified him to practice law.
Legal Consequences and Financial Penalty
Besides the six-month prison term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Barbhuiya. The judgment specified that failure to pay this amount would result in an additional three months of imprisonment. The case timeline shows that following the Bar Association's discovery of the fraud in 2008, they immediately lodged an FIR with local police, leading to Barbhuiya's arrest and the subsequent initiation of court proceedings that have now concluded after 17 years.
This judgment serves as a strong warning against legal credential fraud and emphasizes the importance of thorough verification processes within professional associations. The court's decision reinforces the legal system's commitment to maintaining integrity within the profession and protecting the public from unqualified practitioners.
