In a dramatic turn following the recently concluded Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections, Senior Advocate Dr. Adish Aggarwala has approached the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the results. Aggarwala, who served as SCBA President during the 2023-2024 term, has raised serious allegations of electoral malpractice, including illegal voting and procedural irregularities.
The matter was mentioned today before a bench led by Justice Surya Kant. Aggarwala contended that nearly 200 votes were polled illegally in the May 20 election, which saw Senior Advocate Vikas Singh elected as SCBA President for a record fourth time.
Justice Kant, however, emphasized procedural propriety, stating that the issue could only be addressed by a Special Bench comprising himself and Justice KV Viswanathan — the same bench that has been overseeing matters related to the SCBA elections. “Wait for special bench…find out when Justice Viswanathan is sitting, I will sit in that week. There is no question of listing today. Heavens won’t fall,” he remarked.
Aggarwala, who garnered 683 votes to Singh’s 1,047, alleged that a “person who is not entitled to be President” has been declared the winner. In his application, he further accused the election commissioner, Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, of partiality, claiming she actively campaigned for Singh.
The application reportedly includes claims that the total votes counted exceeded both the number of ballot papers issued and the slips distributed by election officials — a discrepancy Aggarwala describes as indicative of “fraud in the election process.” He also alleges that Singh breached campaigning rules by sending emails past the permissible deadline.
“If we are satisfied, we will set aside the election,” Justice Kant stated, instructing Aggarwala to formally file the application, serve it to the opposing side, and support it with an affidavit.
