SC to hear plea seeking direction to election committee for conducting SCBA polls through secret ballot

The Supreme Court will hear on February 25, the petition filed by lawyer Pradeep Kumar Yadav, seeking its direction to the Election Committee, 2021 of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to conduct the election strictly by way of a secret ballot in physical form adhering to the bye-law of SCBA.

The petition will be heard by a bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and comprising Justice B R Gavai.

The SCBA is to conduct its elections this Saturday, February 27, after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, opined for conducting the election through virtual mode, citing the "probability of spread of Covid-19 in a large congregation."

In his petition, Yadav asked, "What is the mechsm used by the agency to identify the real voter? Or will no proxy voting be done. How it will be done?"

Yadav also questioned how the SCBA would ensure that there will be no mismanagement in the election, which is a debatable issue.

He requested the top court to direct the respondents to conduct the election strictly as per the by-law of the SCBA.

Yadav in his petition also said that the members of the SCBA are not ready to adapt the virtual or hybrid method of elections as most of the lawyers have gone back to their respective native places.

"There is a remote possibility to access the internet and the virtual mode of elections is not practical. If they do not vote, their valuable right will vsh," Yadav said in his petition.

( With inputs from ANI )