The Supreme Court declined to interfere with a Punjab & Haryana High Court order dismissing a petition filed by candidates contesting for the posts of President, Vice-President and Secretary of the Rohtak Bar Association. The petitioners had approached the High Court seeking to set aside the Bar Association’s recently concluded elections, alleging procedural irregularities and violation of the Association’s by-laws.
The High Court had dismissed the plea at the threshold, holding that election disputes within Bar Associations must first be addressed through the internal redressal mechanisms prescribed under their own constitutions and rules. The Court emphasised that writ jurisdiction cannot ordinarily be invoked to challenge such elections when an alternative statutory or self-regulatory remedy exists.
Challenging this dismissal, the petitioners moved the Supreme Court arguing that the High Court had failed to examine the alleged illegalities and that the internal mechanism was ineffective. After hearing the matter, the Supreme Court observed that the High Court was justified in declining to entertain the writ petition, particularly since Bar Association elections are governed by self-contained regulatory frameworks and disputes must first be raised before the appropriate internal forum.
The Court held that no grounds were made out for invoking Article 136 jurisdiction and declined to reopen the election process. With this, the election results of the Rohtak Bar Association remain undisturbed, though the petitioners are free to pursue any remedies available under the Association’s rules.
Appearances:
For the Petitioner: Dr. Menaka Guruswamy, Sr. Adv.; Ms. Archna Yadav, Adv.; Mr. Nipun Arora, Adv.; Mr. Lokinder Singh Phougat, Adv.; Ms. Bhumika Yadav, Adv.; Ms. Shaswati Parhi, Adv.; Mr. Sunny Kadiyan, AOR; Mr. Naveen Singhal, Adv.
For the Respondent: Ms. Sonia Mathur, Sr. Adv.; Mr. Nishant Awana, AOR; Mr. Suraj Kundu, Adv.; Mr. Arpan Narwal, Adv.;Mr. Mayank Chaudhary, Adv.; Mr. Sumit Kumar, Adv.; M/s Nma Law Chambers, Adv.; Mr Manasi Sridhar, Adv.; Ms Vanshika Mudgil, Adv.; Ms Safeena Kaur, Adv.; Mr Sunny Kadiyan, Adv.
