In a major disciplinary action, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) has suspended Advocate Ranjeeta Vengurlekar from legal practice for two years after finding her guilty of charging a fraudulent court fee of ₹80,000 from a client.
The client, Abhijeet Jagannath Zadokar, had alleged that Vengurlekar took ₹80,000 claiming it was a court fee and produced a fake receipt. He claimed to have paid a total of ₹1.5 lakh for legal services and suffered a financial loss of nearly ₹21 lakh due to her actions. Supporting documents such as payment records, WhatsApp chats, and police communication were submitted to the Council.
While the advocate denied the allegations—claiming that ₹80,000 was for court fees and ₹50,000 was her professional charge—she and her counsel failed to appear during the disciplinary proceedings.
Taking note of the unchallenged evidence, a three-member Disciplinary Committee comprising BCMG Chairman U.P. Warunjikar and members S.D. Desai and A.A. Garge found the complaint partly proven. The Council noted:
“Not only that the Complainant has produced Affidavit in support of the same and also 65-B Certificate is also produced by the Complainant. Thus prima-facie receipt of Court Fee Stamp of Rs.80,000/- is bogus.”
In addition to the two-year suspension, the Bar Council has ordered the advocate to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to the complainant within one month.
The order concluded with:
“Sanad of the Respondent is suspended for a period of 2 years and cost of Rs. 25,000/- is granted in favour of the Complainant.”
This decision serves as a stern reminder from the legal regulatory body that professional misconduct and fraudulent practices will not be tolerated in the legal profession.
Case: Abhijeet Zadokar vs Ranjeeta Vengurlekar – Available on LAWFYI.IO
