Delhi Bar Council Election: Lawyers Move SC Seeking More Venues For Polling

A group of practicing lawyers have approached the Supreme Court seeking its approval to have more venues for polling instead of only Delhi High Court compound to conduct the Delhi Bar Council election scheduled for March 16 and 17.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre asked the petitioner’s counsel advocate MC Dhingra to mention it on Wednesday.

He said Justice RK Agrawal was on leave and the regular bench of Justice Agrawal and Justice Sapre would assemble on Wednesday to take up the main matter - Ajayinder Sangwan v. Bar Council of India, in which the bench had permitted the lawyers’ apex body to hold election to state bar councils.

The bench was hearing a special leave petition filed by advocates Shobha Gupta and Rajesh Sachdeva against the Delhi High Court’s February 22 order which had disposed of their plea saying the Supreme Court was seized of the matter and petitioners have to seek approval from the top court.

In the plea, the petitioners said the total number of voters are more than 51,000. In light of such huge number, they prayed for a direction to the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) to conduct polling in different phases in the complex of all district courts (Patiala House, Tis Hazari Saket Court, Karkardooma court, Rohini Court and Dwarka court) and also in the compound of Supreme Court to elect 25 members for BCD instead of single phase at single venue i.e. High Court of Delhi in New Delhi.

According to the petition, “the Election Committee of BCD has lately resolved to conduct elections in two phases at two venues i.e. in addition to 16th and 17th March 2018 at Delhi High Court compound the 2nd phase being on 23rd and 24th March 2018 in Tishazari District Courts, Delhi.”

“ BCD realized that given the hugeness of electorate (51,000 voters), it shall not be practical to manage such a large crowd converging at one place with practically no space for car parking available to cater to magnitude of voters besides that it shall not be feasible possible for all the voters to cast votes with the available time frame. However, BCD is of the view that election in two phases can be held with the approval of this Hon’ble Court as per proposed schedule for 2nd phase.”

The Delhi High Court in its February 22 order had given liberty to the parties to approach the apex court for approval.

The BCD had notified elections for electing 25 members and the polling is scheduled to take place on 16th and 17th March at Delhi High Court compound in New Delhi.