The Supreme Court is set to hear on Tuesday a plea challenging the registration of an FIR against the apex court-appointed High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee constituted to oversee state bar council elections across India.
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Monday by senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, who is also the chairman of the Bar Council of India.
During the mentioning, Mishra informed the court that a lawyer had lodged an FIR against the committee that was constituted by the Supreme Court to supervise elections to state bar councils. Stressing the urgency of the issue, Mishra told the bench that the complaint was filed after the lawyer’s appeal was allegedly not considered.
“This is very urgent. An FIR has been lodged against the high powered committee overseeing the bar council elections by a lawyer. This is serious. It’s just because his appeal was not considered. This is with regard to Maharashtra and Goa state bar council elections,” Mishra submitted before the court.
Taking note of the request, Chief Justice Surya Kant said the matter would be listed for hearing on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court had earlier constituted the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee to monitor the conduct of state bar council elections. The panel is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. Its members include Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and senior advocate V Giri.
In an order dated February 18, the Supreme Court had directed its registry not to list petitions relating to state bar council elections. Instead, the court asked aggrieved parties to approach the committee appointed by the apex court with their grievances.
The committee was created as part of the Supreme Court’s broader directions aimed at ensuring timely, transparent and fair elections to state bar councils across the country. The court had earlier ordered that such elections be conducted under the supervision of retired High Court judges, fixing January 31, 2026 as the final deadline for completing the electoral process.
