Summary
In this February 2018 order concerning State Bar Council elections, the Supreme Court advanced Kerala’s polling date to 18 March 2018 because the notified date fell on a festival. It declined to replace the retired-judge committee supervising Tamil Nadu and Puducherry elections, permit Delhi-based voting for Maharashtra and Goa electors, postpone Rajasthan polling, order the applicant’s inclusion in Delhi’s roll, or direct a Telangana election on the material then before it. The remaining Kerala schedule was retained.
Issues
- Which requested modifications to the 2018 State Bar Council election arrangements should be granted.
Held
- No good ground was shown to replace the BCI-appointed committee of retired High Court judges supervising Tamil Nadu and Puducherry elections. Applications 14049, 14055, 14059 and 14062 were dismissed. (¶¶ 3, 4, 5)
- On the special festival-related circumstances, Kerala’s election was advanced from 25 March to 18 March 2018. The rest of the BCI schedule remained unchanged. (¶¶ 6, 7, 8)
- With schedules already finalized, the Court declined permission for Maharashtra and Goa electors practising in Delhi to vote in Delhi, and rejected postponing Rajasthan’s 28 March 2018 election because of High Court holidays. These were determinations of the particular 2018 applications. (¶¶ 9, 10, 11)
- The Delhi applicant had not provided the required copies of original documents, so no direction for electoral inclusion was warranted. A Telangana election was not directed because its Bar Council appeared not yet to have come into existence; Andhra Pradesh’s schedule had already been fixed. (¶¶ 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Result
Applications disposed of as specified: Kerala polling advanced to 18 March 2018 with remaining schedule unchanged; other identified requests for replacement committee, alternative voting, postponement, roll inclusion and Telangana election declined.