A keen tussle is on the cards for the maiden election to the 25-member Andhra Pradesh Bar Council, with nearly 29,000 advocates set to cast their votes on June 29.
A.P. and Telangana are going to have their own Bar Councils as per the Supreme Court directions, as it is a matter outside the purview of the A.P. Reorganisation Act.
Nearly 27,000 advocates are expected to exercise their right to vote for the Telangana Bar Council.
All India Lawyers’ Union State general secretary N. Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu that there were about 99,000 advocates in the combined State of A.P. But only 56,000 advocates in A.P. and Telangana put together were eligible to vote as the remaining were either inactive practitioners or had retired and failed to renew their membership in accordance with the Certificate of Practice (CoP) Rules.
Only those who comply with the rules will have the voting right. Each State is supposed to have a Bar Council under Sec. 3 of the Advocates Act, 1961, and it regulates the profession of advocates.
A majority of the Bar Councils in the 25 States have completed the process of election, and formation of the A.P. and Telangana Bar Councils will expedite the election of the Bar Council of India. The Bar Councils elect new bodies through the preferential voting system.
Campaigning
Mr. Rao said candidates began campaigning well in advance, and they had extensively used social media to reach out to the voters. Some had openly advertised in apparent violation of norms. May 17 was the opening day for filing of nominations and May 26 the last date.
