How to determine the authenticity of a scholar?

Khilafat is more than a fancy name and not nothing. It's a certificate (imo). Just not one written in stone. The individual could have hidden his evil traits from the Shaykh or become rotten after getting khilafat.

Hakeem Akhter Saheb was Arifbillah and a Mujaddid of our zamana His status as a highly competent Shaykh is proven by the fact that numerous great Ulama and Mashayikh took bayt on his hands, but he also could have made errors in judgment.

Hakeem Akhter said khilafat is a means of islah. Not that one's islah is done.

I know of one individual who had khilafat from Arifbillah Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Akhter Saheb rahimahullah. Many Ulama and purana saathis didn't and don't respect him. Apparently, when his khilafat was retracted, people spread pamphlets in the masajid to let everyone know. Some people still respect him, they're either naive or in denial.