AS THE High Court reopened on Monday after a weeklong winter vacation, lawyers were seen extending New Year greetings to one another.
The New Year also brought a ray of hope to those lawyers aspiring to contest the Allahabad High Court Bar Association election.
The High Court Bar Association secretary had given an undertaking to a division bench of this court last month that the HCBA election would be completed before February 28,2006. Thus, all candidates have geared up for a tough electoral contest.
A Division Bench of the High Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition relating to the problem of non-practising members of the High Court.
At one stage, this Division Bench had made it clear, that there was no stay on holding of the election.
However, at another stage, when this issue was brought to the notice of the court, the High Court Bar Association secretary stated before this court that the election would be held on or before February 28, 2006.
As the election is round the corner, candidates have started formulating strategies to woo voters.
{{/usCountry}}As the election is round the corner, candidates have started formulating strategies to woo voters.
{{/usCountry}}Today, several prospective candidates greeted the lawyers with a request to vote for them. It is not clear yet as to how many candidates will contest for the coveted posts of president and secretary of High Court Bar Association. But, the number of candidates will be much higher than ever before.
The one-year term of the present office-bearers of the High Court Bar Association expired in December 2004.
Though as per rule, the election should have been held much earlier and the new office-bearers should have taken charge immediately after expiry of the one-year term, yet due to reasons best known to the present office-bearers, the election could not be held timely. One year has passed without any election.
This created resentment among members of the Bar.
But, in view of the undertaking given by the secretary of the High Court Bar Association before the court last month, lawyers, specially prospective candidates, are quite hopeful of the ensuing election.