Delhi High Court Again Reschedules Date Of Elections To All Bar Associations To March 21

The Delhi High Court has rescheduled again the date of elections to all Bar Associations in the national capital from February 28 to March 21, 2025.

A full bench comprising Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice Rekha Palli and Justice C Hari Shankar took cognizance of the fact that the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) was yet to constitute its Election Commission.

“We further bear in consideration the Executive Committee's of respective Bar Associations being required to undertake the requisite exercise of sourcing an adequate number of Electronic Voting Machines for the smooth conduct of the elections and there thus being a necessity to extend the date fixed for elections as part of our final thrust to ensure that the elections are conducted in a conducive environment,” the Court said.

While many fresh dates were suggested for conduct of elections, the Bench fixed the date as March 21 bearing in mind the preparatory steps that are yet to be completed, the impending Holi holidays as well as the need of ensuring that court functioning is not disrupted.

The Court directed the DHCBA to constitute the Commission latest by February 22 which shall place a complete schedule pertaining to the elections by February 24.

“Since in light of the aforenoted steps that are liable to be taken, and are indisputably unlikely to be completed by 28 February 2025, we provide that the elections for all the concerned Bar Associations shall now be held on 21 March 2025,” the Court said.

On December 19, 2024, the Supreme Court had directed reservation of 3 posts for women lawyers in the Delhi High Court Bar Association elections. Further, in the district bar associations, the Apex Court had directed that the post of Treasurer plus 30% of other Executive Committee posts shall stand reserved for women lawyers, including those already reserved for women.

In March last year, the full bench of the High Court had held that elections to the Executive Committee of all the bar associations in Delhi shall be held simultaneously on the same day for a uniform period of two years. 

For this year, it was ordered to be held on October 19. After the matter was adjourned by the full bench to November 27, two SLPs were filed by women lawyers, Aditi Chaudhary and Shobha Gupta, seeking reservation for women advocates in the ensuing bar elections.

Later, the elections were postponed by the Court to December 13.

Title: LALIT SHARMA AND ORS v. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Del) 216

Click here to read order