Ludhiana: Bar association polls challenged; returning officer summoned

In a plea before the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, advocate Naval Kishore Chibber alleged that 1,000 lawyers were presented whiskey bottles and were invited to a party at a hotel owned by newly elected DBA president Chetan Verma two days before the bar association polls

Barely two weeks after president of the District Bar Association (DBA) was appointed, the much-hyped polls of the largest body of lawyers in Punjab have been challenged by an advocate, alleging that it was not conducted in a fair manner as voters were influenced with liquor two days before the polls.

Barely two weeks after president of the District Bar Association (DBA) was appointed, the much-hyped polls of the largest body of lawyers in Punjab have been challenged by an advocate, alleging that it was not conducted in a fair manner as voters were influenced with liquor two days before the polls. (HT Photo)

In a plea before the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, advocate Naval Kishore Chibber alleged that 1,000 lawyers were presented whiskey bottles and were invited to a party at a hotel owned by newly elected DBA president Chetan Verma two days before the polls.

The Bar Council has summoned the returning officer of the district courts for a hearing on January 28.

In his petition, Chibber has requested that Verma, who received 1,148 votes in the January 6, 2023 election, be removed from his position. The petitioner had received 852 votes in the election.

Verma won by a margin of 296 votes over his closest rival. It should be noted that his father Vijay Verma had previously held the position of the president of the DBA three times.

Chibber alleged in his petition that under the garb of cricket tournaments, Verma has thrown lavish parties and he had consistently invited people to his hotel, and was offering drinks and snacks even before elections.

He alleged that Verma engaged in malpractice during the election. He also said that Verma improperly submitted the subscriptions of over 350 individuals to the Bar Council in the last three days of the election, and did so by promising to secure votes for himself.

Chhiber stated that Verma had put multiple hoardings before elections till the date of polling. He alleged that these cut-outs and hoardings were placed on the gate of the polling station which was giving the impression that he has mass support and it effected the mind of voters.

When contacted, Verma said, “They were defeated in the election by a large margin. The accusations that we attempted to influence voters through improper means have no merit and are untrue.”