'There Are Serious Issues' : Supreme Court Refuses To Modify Order Halting Vote-Counting Of Delhi Bar Council Elections
Debby Jain
21 May 2026 12:09 PM IST
The Court allowed the parties to seek urgent hearing before the Delhi High Court for interim relief.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused a request to allow the counting of the Delhi Bar Council elections to proceed without declaring the final results.
When Senior Advocate Vikas Singh made an oral request to modify the Court's earlier order halting the counting of votes, Chief Justice of Surya Kant said :
"We will not allow, there are serious issues...Please go argue before HC...It's only a transitional order...We don't want to prejudice High Court. There is nothing pending before us. We will not modify the order, there are reasons."
Singh submitted that the Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia committee had already allowed the counting to continue. He added that the Delhi Bar Council has already spent Rs 5 crores for the elections. He clarified that he is only seeking the counting to go on and not the declaration of results. "Let the process be continue, but not the results. Let the results be declared subject to the Delhi High Court's order," Singh suggested.
"There are issues," CJI stuck to his stand.
A counsel appearing for the candidates submitted that the Supreme Court's order was passed without hearing them. She said that no objection was raised to the conduct of the elections. She said that the Delhi Bar Council is spending Rs 5 lakhs per day, and that the ballot papers are lying open.
The CJI repeated that all the arguments can be raised before the Delhi High Court. When the counsel said that the High Court was closing for summer break on May 29, the CJI agreed to request the High Court to hear the matter next Monday.
The bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi passed the following order :
"On oral mentioning, miscellaneous application is taken on record. Owing to the urgent nature of the matter, Hon'ble CJ of the High Court is requested to list the matter before a Division Bench, preferably on Monday. Parties at liberty to seek appropriate interim directions, which may be considered by the High Court."
