BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA (Statutory Body Constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961)

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BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
(Statutory Body Constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961)
21, Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, Near Bal Bhawan, New Delhi – 110002
Press Release dated 19.02.2022
Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India has been elected unopposed as Chairman, Bar Council of India for the 6th time and Mr. S. Prabakaran, Senior Advocate, Madras High Court has been elected unopposed as Vice-Chairman of Bar Council of India for the 2nd consecutive term by virtue of election held on 06.02.2022.
It is for the first time in the history of the Bar Council of India that someone has been elected, unopposed, as the Chairman of the Bar Council of India for 6th times in a row. This is unprecedented. Previously, Late Shri Ram Jethmalani, Senior Advocate had been elected as Chairmen for four terms.
It is to be noted that the elections of Chairman and Vice Chairman, scheduled for 06.02.2022 were challenged before the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, by one member of the Bar Council of India. The elections had also been challenged before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India too. The Writ Petition before the Supreme Court of India was dismissed with liberty to the petitioners to approach the Bar Council of India. It is to be noted that a similar writ applications were filed in Himachal Pradesh High Court. The Himachal Pradesh High Court had issued notice to BCI but had refused to grant any interim relief to the petitioner.
It is pertinent to mention, that vide its Order dated 01.02.2022, the High Court Of Karnataka refused to stay the holding of elections of Chairman and Vice Chairman, which was scheduled to be held by Bar Council of India on 06.02.2022, but, the High Court directed the Bar Council of India not to announce the results of elections and to keep the Ballot Papers under sealed cover to be produced before the High Court of Karnataka on next date of hearing, which was fixed for 18.02.2022. The elections were duly conducted on 06.02.2022, and in the said elections no other nomination paper was filed for the posts of Chairman, except that of Shri Manan Kumar Mishra and similarly for the post of Vice-Chairman, only one nomination paper of Mr. S. Prabakaran was filed. However on account of the orders of Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, the Bar Council of India, did not announce the result on 06.02.2022 and the entire electoral papers inclusive of nomination paper for both posts were kept in sealed cover. Hon’ble Mr. Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, Former Chief Justice, Patna High Court, Former Chairman, Central Administrative Tribunal and Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Anjana Mishra, Former Judge, Patna High Court, were Observer and Co-observer for the process of election. Shri D. P. Dhal, Senior Advocate presided over the meeting,
On 18.02.2022, the petitioner to the afore-referred writ petition before the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka who had filed an application before the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka withdrew his writ case. Thereupon, the Council has announced the results of the election (held on 06.02.2022) today. The tenure of the newly elected Office-Bearers will start from 17th April, 2022 and they will hold their respective offices till 16th April, 2025.
91
(Srimanto Sen) Secretary
Bar Council of India