Advocate Suspended for Two Years by Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa for Charging Rs 80,000 as Fake Court Fee

The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) has suspended Advocate Ranjeeta Vengurlekar from practice for two years after finding her guilty of charging a false court fee of ₹80,000 from her client, Abhijeet Jagannath Zadokar. 

The Council also directed her to pay ₹25,000 as compensation within one month. Zadokar alleged that the advocate collected the amount by issuing a fake receipt, resulting in a significant financial loss of Rs 21 Lakh due to her conduct. 

The Disciplinary Committee observed that the evidence submitted was unchallenged and prima facie established misconduct. Notably, the advocate failed to appear or participate in the disciplinary proceedings.