The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its judgment on a batch of petitions alleging irregularities in the conduct of the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) elections held earlier this year.
The Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Justice Tejas Karia concluded hearings in the matter after extensive arguments spread over three days, including special sittings held on Saturday and Sunday. During the proceedings, the Court also examined video recordings of the vote-counting process as part of its scrutiny of the allegations raised by the petitioners.
The matter reached the High Court pursuant to an order passed by the Supreme Court on May 18. The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi transferred a batch of petitions concerning alleged irregularities in the BCD electoral process to a specially-constituted Bench of the High Court for adjudication.
The Apex Court had intervened after concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the counting process and allegations that tampered ballot papers were being included in the counting exercise. Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the Bench stayed the counting process until the High Court adjudicated the disputes and pronounced its judgment.
The BCD elections were conducted in February 2026 under the supervision of retired Delhi High Court judge Talwant Singh, who was appointed as the Returning Officer to oversee the electoral process and ensure compliance with the applicable election rules and procedures.
The election process was subsequently embroiled in controversy following allegations of widespread violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Bar Council of Delhi Election Rules, 2023. On February 22, as many as 67 candidates, including two designated Senior Advocates, were placed under summary suspension for alleged large-scale breaches of the electoral code and election regulations.
Suspension notices were issued to a total of 79 advocates. However, on February 23, 63 of those notices were revoked after the concerned candidates submitted explanations and representations before the election authorities.
The controversy further escalated when the Bar Council of India (BCI) initiated disciplinary proceedings against an advocate and placed him under interim suspension for allegedly misbehaving with Justice Singh. The advocate was accused of attempting to manhandle the Returning Officer, instigating a gathering of lawyers and raising slogans against the election machinery while Justice Singh was inspecting a site following complaints regarding violations of the MCC.
Subsequently, the BCD suspended former Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) President Rajiv Khosla and nine other advocates from its rolls on allegations that they had manhandled, pushed and abused officials entrusted with conducting the Bar Council elections.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the electoral process, Justice Singh submitted a confidential communication to the Supreme Court on May 2 regarding developments relating to the conduct of the elections. Around the same period, multiple petitions were instituted challenging various aspects of the electoral process, including alleged violations of election rules, irregularities in voting and counting procedures, and concerns regarding the fairness, transparency and integrity of the election process.
Following the conclusion of arguments and examination of the material placed on record, including video footage of the counting exercise, the High Court reserved judgment in the matter. The Division Bench will now examine the validity of the challenges mounted against the BCD elections and determine whether the allegations of procedural irregularities, electoral misconduct, violations of election rules and defects in the counting process warrant judicial intervention.
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