The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to conduct a recount of votes cast in the recently held bar body elections, following serious allegations of discrepancies in the vote tally.
A vacation bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta issued the directive while hearing concerns about the validity of the declared results, especially for the post of President and the Executive Committee members. The court observed that recounting was necessary to maintain the credibility and transparency of the electoral process within the apex court’s bar association.
Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, a member of the Election Committee, informed the bench that the panel had already decided to initiate a recount in view of complaints received. One such complaint came from senior advocate Adish Aggarwala, a presidential candidate, who pointed out that 2,651 votes were declared valid for the post of President, while only 2,588 ballots were issued.
“The recounting of votes for the post of President will begin first, as it is expected to take a shorter time, followed by the recount for executive members, which may take two to three days,” Hansaria submitted.
Justice Surya Kant clarified that the matter was already pending before a special bench comprising him and Justice K.V. Viswanathan. Therefore, the directive for recounting was being issued in the court’s administrative capacity and not as a judicial order.
The court also expressed concern over reported attempts to intimidate the Election Committee members. It took note of allegations that Aggarwala had served notices and threatened criminal action against them.
“Any attempt to browbeat members of the Election Committee will not be tolerated. The court knows how to deal with such individuals,” Justice Kant sternly remarked.
Reiterating its support for the current election panel, the court said, “We are not going to replace the Election Committee. If a member is indisposed, we can substitute one, but we are not appointing a new committee.”
The bench directed Hansaria to submit a detailed report on the recount process and results but instructed him not to declare the results until further orders. “We’d like to see if the process was fair,” Justice Kant stated.
In the 2025 SCBA elections, senior advocate Vikas Singh was declared elected as President, along with nine members to the Executive Committee. The recount order has now cast a temporary hold on the confirmation of these results, pending verification.
The matter remains under close watch, and the court has assured that any grievance will be addressed to uphold the integrity of the Bar’s democratic process.
