Allegations of irregularities surrounding the State Bar Council elections have intensified, with a fresh case now filed in the Calcutta High Court accusing the Bar Council of financial misconduct. An intervention application linked to alleged irregularities in the election process has also been submitted in the same matter.
According to court sources, the case is likely to be heard on Wednesday before Justice Krishna Rao. While multiple cases have already been filed earlier over alleged irregularities in the Bar Council elections, the latest petition focuses primarily on alleged long-standing financial irregularities within the Council.
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The case has been filed by advocate Subir Sengupta of the Alipore court. It alleges that the State Bar Council has repeatedly collected money from lawyers in the name of contributions. It further claims that newly enrolled lawyers have been charged thousands of rupees over the years for issuing enrolment certificates.
The petition points out that the Supreme Court, in a directive issued last year, had made it clear that no more than ₹750 can be charged for issuing such certificates. Despite this, the case alleges that higher amounts continued to be collected.
The petition also claims that although the Bar Council earns crores of rupees from various sources, there is no proper accounting of these funds. It further alleges that no elections have been held since the last Bar Council election in 2018 and that no audit has been conducted during this period.
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Concerns have also been raised regarding the State Lawyers Welfare Fund. According to the petition, while the Welfare Fund initially operated under a trust, a State Lawyers Welfare Corporation was formed in 2012. The case alleges that funds from the Welfare Trust may have been transferred to the corporation. On these grounds, the petitioner has sought a comprehensive financial investigation by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Meanwhile, the Bar Council elections are being overseen by a three-member committee formed under a Supreme Court directive. The committee comprises two judges and Advocate General Kishore Datta. A meeting between the Supreme Court-appointed committee and Bar Council officials was held on Sunday, but according to Bar Council sources, the meeting did not yield any positive outcome.
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The Bar Council has since approached the Supreme Court seeking a postponement of the election date. The matter is scheduled to be heard by the apex court on Tuesday.
