The Bar Council of Delhi has temporarily suspended the license of advocate Iqbal Malik for using his chambers to perform religious conversions and Nikah (Islamic marriage) until a disciplinary committee submits its findings.
Bar Council of Delhi suspends licence of a lawyer for allegedly using his Chamber for performing religious conversion and Muslim marriages (Nikah): Piyush Gupta, Hony Secy, Bar Council of Delhi
— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2021
The Bar Council of Delhi observed that such conduct ‘negates the dignity of the legal profession’. A resolution passed by the Council says, “The alleged illegal activities are not permissible nor are part of the professional activities of an advocate and your conduct in performing a Nikaah and issuance of certificate of conversion and Nikaahnama/ marriage certificate is totally disgraceful and negates the dignity of legal profession.”
It states further, “Looking into the averments in the complaint and the documents, prima-facie the activities of performing the Nikah in the Chamber/ Court premises cannot be permitted by an advocate or any other person, as such it calls for an urgent action by the Bar Council.”
“Sh. Ramesh Gupta, Hon’ble Chairman while considering the gravity of the issue and to uphold the dignity and honor of the legal fraternity, exercised his special powers conferred under Rule 43 of the Bar Council of India Rules and Section 6 (1) (d) of the Advocates Act, 1961, referred the issue to the Special Disciplinary Committee and as an interim measure, considers it necessary and appropriate to suspend your licence to practice until the finding and conclusion by the Disciplinary Committee,” it adds.
The decision came after a father complained that his daughter had been forcefully converted to Islam and thereafter married off in the advocate’s chamber at the Karkardooma Court. The father also contends that the chamber in the Court was shown as a Mosque in the documents, LiveLaw reported.
