Bar Council polls: Ex-judge to supervise counting of votes

The apex court on Monday appointed Karnataka High Court former judge Justice Ajit J Gunjal to supervise the counting process for the polls held to elect office-bearers of the Karnataka State Bar Council on March 27, within a period of one week.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Abhay Manohar Sapre passed the order, appointing Gunjal, after the top court had on May 2 quashed an election tribunal’s order to set aside the polls.

It was, earlier, contended the Bar Council of India’s tribunal had on April 17 decided arbitrarily to set aside the elections, without giving the contestants opportunity of hearing.

The court had then directed that the counting of votes for electing the office-bearers of the statutory regulatory body for the advocates will be held under the supervision of a retired High Court judge.

The tribunal’s decision had come on a complaint made by one candidate Durgaprasad.

The Karnataka State Bar Council’s term has ended on January 27. In August, last year, the top court had directed all the state bar councils to conduct elections in their respective bodies.