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10 Nov 2025, 02:16 PM
The Supreme Court on Monday indicated that all State Bar Council elections across the country will be held under the supervision of retired High Court judges.
The Court said it intends to constitute independent election panels headed by retired judges in each state to oversee the polls and ensure they are conducted in a transparent, fair and credible manner.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi expressed this view when the matter releating to the Bar Council elections were mentioned before it.
Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairperson of the Bar Council of India, did not object to this proposal.
The Court will now consider the matter on November 18.
"With a view to ensure that the election process for all the State Bar Councils is notified without any further delay, and that the elections are conducted in a fair and just manner under the direct supervision of an independent member/multi-member Committee, post the main case along with all the Interlocutory Applications for consideration on 18.11.2025," the Court ordered.
The Supreme Court has been monitoring the issue of Bar Council elections for several months. Earlier, on September 24, the Supreme Court had made it clear that all State Bar Council elections must be completed by January 31, 2026, emphasizing that verification drives of advocates' law degrees cannot be used as a pretext for further postponements.
On October 31, it had directed the BCI to notify elections for the Punjab and Haryana Bar Councils within ten days and to complete the polls by December 31, 2025. The Court also ordered that elections to the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council must be conducted by January 31, 2026, after addressing “genuine and bona fide grievances” of electors.