The Supreme Court of India has taken a firm step in response to ongoing concerns regarding the transparency of elections within district Bar Associations in Haryana. On May 20, 2025, a Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh directed the Chairman of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council to submit a proposal within five days for nominating a retired High Court judge to conduct statewide Bar elections.
The Court emphasized that the nominated judge should preferably be someone who is well-acquainted with the workings of Bar Associations and the Bar Council. This step is aimed at ensuring fair and transparent elections across the state.
"In order to ensure that the Bar Council, as a statutory body, remains above board, we have suggested... that they may nominate a former Judge of the High Court, especially if anyone who is well-conversant with the functioning of the Bar Association/Bar Council, to act as the Election Tribunal," the Bench observed.
The directive came after the Court noted the lack of clarity in responses from the Bar Council despite previous discussions. Justice Surya Kant remarked sharply, "Enough is enough," when counsel representing the Bar Council failed to convey any instructions during the hearing.
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These proceedings are part of two pending cases before the Supreme Court—one challenging the disqualification of an advocate from contesting the Karnal Bar Association elections and another concerning election issues within the Rohtak Bar Association.
In earlier hearings, the Court had expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council and had sought names of respected senior members from the Karnal Bar for interim oversight.
The Court has scheduled the next hearing for May 27, 2025, and expects the Bar Council to comply by submitting the required proposal before this date.
"We direct the Chairman of the Bar Council to submit a proposal in this regard within five days," the Court ordered.
This decision underlines the judiciary’s commitment to uphold transparency and fairness within legal institutions, ensuring democratic processes are protected at all levels.
Appearance: Senior Advocates RS Cheema (Amicus Curiae), Narender Hooda, Dr Menaka Guruswamy, Rajive Bhalla, Arvind Sangwan, Santosh Paul, Nakul Dewan, Ritu Bahri and RS Malik; AoRs Shrey Kapoor, Sunny Kadiyan, Varun Punia, Vedant Pradhan, Radhika Gautam, Raghavendra Pratap Singh, Saurabh Agrawal, RC Kaushik, Ajit Sharma and Akshay Saxena; Advocates Nipun Arora, Karan Kapoor and Archana Yadav
Case Title:
(1) SANDEEP CHAUDHRY Versus JAGMAL SINGH JATAIN AND ORS., SLP(C) No. 7868-7869/2025
(2) SANDEEP KUMAR AND ORS. Versus BAR COUNCIL OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AND ORS., SLP(C) No. 10323/2025
