Three petitions were filed before the Delhi High Court on Monday related to the recently-held elections of bar associations in Delhi..The petitions pertain to the bar polls at the Patiala House Court, Saket and Rouse Avenue Court. The matters were mentioned before the Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela for urgent listing..Regarding the Patiala House Court bar association election, the counsel submitted that there was a contradiction in the numbers of eligible voters and the votes cast. “The matter pertains to Patiala House court bar association elections. Election was to be held using the proximity cards. There is discrepancy in the number of voters polled and actual number of voters. Representation was given to the election officer. This matter required intervention by this court,” the counsel on behalf of petitioner submitted. .When the Court got to know that the election results were already declared on Sunday, the Chief Justice asked the petitioner to take appropriate legal recourse.“Once results have been declared then you can challenge the elections. What intervention of this court is legally permissible once the results have been declared? The only way is of challenging the elections. The law is once election is set in motion... once results have been declared we cannot do anything." The Chief Justice also observed that the bar association elections are governed by the Societies Registration Act, having its own procedure. "You are a civil association, your elections are governed by the Societies Registration Act. You have to either challenge by taking recourse to legal remedy or statutory remedy. We will have to break three benches. It is an in-house thing, why are such matters coming to the court," the Court said. After some deliberation, the Court allowed the matter to be listed today.The issue was briefly taken up today in the Court of Justice Mini Pushkarna. It will be heard tomorrow morning. As an interim measure, single-judge directed that status quo be maintained till Tuesday morning."Without going in the merits, only for the purposes that the matter is to be heard tomorrow, it is directed that status quo be maintained till tomorrow morning," the Court said..At the time of post-lunch mentioning before the bench of Chief Justice, two more election matters were allowed to be listed. One of the petitions concerned the cancellation of elections at Saket Court bar association elections owing to "mismanagement."The petitioner a candidate who contested for the post of the Secretary, requested for the appointment of a retired High Court judge as an observer for conducting elections at the Saket court.The Chief Justice, however, said: "Observer will be needed only once election program is declared."The petitioner sought early listing of the matter on the ground that the Returning Officer would be appointed tomorrow. The Court allowed the matter to be listed for hearing on Wednesday. .Another petition pertains to the Rouse Avenue Court bar association election. The Court was apprised that the counting of votes is still going on, though election results for some posts were declared last nightThe matter will be listed tomorrow.
