Bar election: HC seeks response from lawyers' bodies on PIL

The Delhi High Court today sought responses from various lawyers' bodies on a plea seeking implementation of principle of "one vote one bar" in the election for office bearers of the Central Administrative Tribunal Bar Association (CATBA).
A bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued notices to Bar Councils of India, Bar Council of Delhi and CATBA.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Anil Kumar Singal, a lawyer, saying the CATBA is facing a problem, earlier encountered by other bar bodies including Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), as non-practising lawyers turn up on election day only affecting chances of practising advocates who fight polls to become the office bearers.

"There is problem of bogus voting in the election of office bearers of bar associations in the sense that those advocates, who are not regularly practicing in a particular court/tribunal are/were enrolled as members of that bar association like CATBA only to vote in the election...
"It is clear from the fact that the membership of CATBA is more than 1,200, but only 100 advocates have regular appearance before the CAT, whereas at the time of election, 600 members cast votes," the petition said.
It also cited apex court judgements holding that a lawyer, even if he is a member of various bar bodies, can cast vote in the election of one bar body only.

It said the principle of "one vote one bar" has been adopted in the SCBA and DHCBA polls following Supreme Court judgements.
"Issue a writ of mandamus/certiorari or any other direction to respondents to implement principle of 'one vote one bar' in the election of CATBA," it said, adding this practice be made mandatory in other district bar polls also.