Lucknow, May 28, 2025 — In a significant development concerning the internal affairs of the Oudh Bar Association, the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench has ordered that all bank accounts operated by the Association be kept in abeyance until further directions. The move comes amid persistent disputes and procedural breakdowns in the preparation of the electoral roll ahead of the Association’s elections.
A division bench comprising Justices Attau Rahman Masoodi and Ajai Kumar Srivastava-I passed the order on May 27, 2025, while hearing a writ petition [Writ-C No. 4425 of 2025] filed by two members of the Bar. The court noted that its earlier directions, dated May 8, 2025 — which had laid out a detailed election schedule — were not executed due to various operational difficulties, including delayed cheque clearances and issues surrounding member declarations.
In response to the failure of the Elders’ Committee to proceed with the electoral process, the Court has now constituted a six-member committee to independently verify subscriptions and declarations of the Association’s members. The new committee includes:
Sri C. B. Pandey (Chairman) Sri S. C. Kashish Sri N. K. Pandey Dr. Deepti Tripathi Sri G. L. Yadav Sri Amit Jaiswal (Ojas)
This committee has been tasked with completing the verification exercise and finalizing the electoral roll by July 6, 2025. The court emphasized that the final electoral roll must be placed before it on July 7, 2025, following which the election schedule will be finalized.
Importantly, the Court ordered that all financial transactions of the Oudh Bar Association be frozen, barring essential expenditures such as salaries and emergency contingencies — which must be approved by the Court. It also directed the Manager of the State Bank of India, High Court Branch, Lucknow, to ensure compliance with the freezing of the accounts.
The matter will next be heard on July 7, 2025, when the Court will review the finalized electoral roll and set the election timeline accordingly.
