In a sharp move to quell swirling doubts over the Supreme Court Bar Association elections, the apex court on Thursday commanded the Election Committee to preserve all CCTV recordings related to the polls—no deleting, no editing, until further notice.
This came after murmurs of fake ballots and procedural slip-ups surfaced from a handful of candidates claiming foul play. The bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and KV Vishwanathan, didn’t mince words: the footage is to be kept under the watchful eye of Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria, the Committee Chair.
Tensions flared further during the hearing over the contentious issue of women’s representation. A lawyer reminded the court of an earlier directive advocating for 33% female presence in the SCBA leadership. Yet, the Election Committee had declared winners strictly on merit, ignoring reserved seats for women.
The bench drew a firm line in the sand. “Representation,” they said, was the key—not the rigid “reservation” seen in government jobs. Since half of the elected candidates this time around were women, the court concluded the goal was met without needing extra quotas.
However, the court made it clear that if concerns about election conduct had been raised sooner, adjustments could have been made on the fly. It urged those with serious, evidence-backed complaints to come forward—warning that mere sour grapes over results wouldn’t get a hearing.
The justices also nodded to broader reform ideas. Among them: Election Committee members should stay completely hands-off from running or campaigning. Impartiality, they stressed, was the backbone of fair elections.
All suggestions for tightening the process are now directed to the Registrar, with the court expecting progress updates by the next session on July 28.
The message is clear: the court is watching, the cameras are rolling, and transparency is non-negotiable.
