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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court, recently, declared that the elections of all Bar Associations will be held on February 7, 2025. The bench of Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice Rekha Palli and Justice C. Hari Shankar remarked, “The aforesaid date for holding of final elections has been decided after taking into consideration submissions made by counsels appearing for respective sides as well as bearing in mind the various preparatory steps that are liable to be taken for purposes of holding of elections with due expedition”. 

The matter addressed in the writ petition pertained to conducting ‘uniform elections’ on a single day for all Bar Associations. It was also brought to the Court's attention that every lawyer was required to participate in Bar elections, necessitating the preparation of proper identification cards for lawyers.

In light of the aforementioned concerns, the court had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva. The committee included Justice Jasmeet Singh, Justice Manoj Jain, Mr. K. K. Manan (Chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi), Mr. Mohit Mathur (President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association), and the Chairman of the Coordination Committee of All District Bar Associations of Delhi as its members.

The committee was tasked with submitting a report on the preparation of identification cards for lawyers, the implementation of radio frequency tags or stickers for lawyers' vehicles, and the conduct of uniform elections for all Bar Councils on a single day.

Vinod Sharma, President of the Saket Bar Association and Chairman of the Coordination Committee for the District Courts Bar Association, had informed the court that all Bar Associations, except the Tis Hazari Bar Association and the Delhi High Court Bar Association, agreed to hold uniform elections for all Bar Associations on a single day. 

However, the court expressed the view that one representative from each Bar Association, along with one representative from the Bar Council of Delhi and the Chairman of the Coordination Committee, should convene to amicably resolve the matter.

In the recent hearing dated December 17 2025, a chart consolidating data was presented, showing the pendency of work related to the scrutiny of applications and other processes at Levels 2 and 3. Based on the disclosures made, it was noted that the pendency of applications at Level 2 stood at 4,989, while that at Level 3 amounted to 2,738. Additionally, 4,445 objections regarding Level 2 scrutiny and 201 objections concerning Level 3 were reported.

The court, in light of the aforementioned context, directed all relevant authorities to complete the formalities pertaining to the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) promptly. The competent authorities were instructed to constitute the Election Commission immediately after the scrutiny process concluded. All objections were to be resolved without delay and in compliance with the law, with the entire scrutiny process to be completed by January 10, 2025.

Case Title: Nitin Kumar Advocate v Bar Council Of Delhi (W.P.(C) 4756/2023)