Akhya Pandey
In a recent case in Chandigarh, law student Raj Karan Baidwan landed in serious trouble after admitting he had submitted a fake document to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He had allegedly done this in an attempt to obtain his LLB degree from Punjab University.
Although Baidwan enrolled in a three-year law course and claimed to have completed it in May 2023, he contacted the High Court in August 2025, alleging that the university had failed to release his degree, marksheet or results. To support his claim, he attached a result notification dated 25 November 2024, which appeared official at first glance.
However, during the hearing on August 2, 2025, university lawyer, Advocate Akshay Kumar Goel, informed the Court that the notification was completely fake, bearing fabricated signatures and seals. He further stated that Baidwan had not even appeared for the final year examination in 2023. It also came to light that the forged document had been given to him by Rahul Kumar, former vice-president of the Panjab University Campus Student Council (2019), who allegedly misled Baidwan into believing it was genuine.
Confronted with these revelations, Baidwan immediately sought to withdraw his petition. He apologised to the Court, explaining that he was misled and admitting he had failed to verify the document’s authenticity. He expressed repentance for presenting a fake paper before the Court and gave an undertaking not to repeat such conduct.
A division bench comprising Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj and Justice Deepak Gupta observed that such behaviour, whether intentional or due to negligence, could have serious legal consequences.
However, given that the student immediately accepted the mistake and withdrew the petition, the Court refrained from taking punitive action. The bench disposed of the petition as “not pressed any further” and clarified that there could be no benefit claimed by the student on the basis of the forged document, while cautioning that use of such a forged document could still invite criminal proceedings.
Bench: Harsimran Singh Sethi
Appearance: Advocate Brijesh represented the petitioner and Advocate Akshay Kumar Geol appeared for Panjab University.
Case Title: Raj Karan Baidwan vs. Panjab University and Another
Case Number: CWP-22134-2025
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