On Thursday, the Supreme Court opened the door for the resumption of vote counting in the high-stakes Bar Council of Delhi election dispute by permitting parties to seek interim relief before the Delhi High Court and requesting urgent listing of the matter before an appropriate Bench. The move comes at a crucial stage, as counting of ballot papers had earlier been halted following allegations of tampering, leaving the closely watched BCD election process in uncertainty.
The controversy stems from allegations of irregularities and tampering during the Bar Council of Delhi elections, following which the Supreme Court had earlier directed that further counting of ballot papers remain suspended and transferred the matter to the Delhi High Court for day-to-day consideration by a Special Bench. During the proceedings before the Apex Court, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh clarified that the parties were not presently seeking a declaration of results but only continuation of counting, pointing out that ballot papers were lying exposed, and substantial expenditure had already been incurred in conducting the elections.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi clarified that the parties would be free to seek appropriate interim directions before the Delhi High Court regarding the continuation of counting. The Court further observed that the High Court could independently consider the request “without being influenced” by the Supreme Court’s earlier direction keeping the matter in abeyance.
Consequently, the Apex Court requested the Delhi High Court to list the matter urgently, preferably on Monday, for consideration of interim issues relating to the counting of votes.
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