JABALPUR, India, Dec. 5 -- Madhya Pradesh High Court issued the following judgment/order on Nov. 6:

By the subject petition, petitioner has challenged the impugned order dated 27.10.2025, whereby the candidature of the petitioner has been rejected. Petitioner also impugns the resolutions dated 18.07.2025 and 31.07.2021, whereby the Election Officer has been appointed for conducting the elections of the Bar Association.

Learned Counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner has filed his nomination for the election period 2025-27 for which polling is to be held on 08.11.2025. However, his candidature has been rejected. He further submits that the Election Officer was appointed in a meeting where the members who were present were not eligible to participate as some of them had not cleared their dues.

Learned counsel appearing for the respondent -Bar Association submits that as per the Bye-laws of the Bar Association, the minimum eligibility to contest for any post other than the post of the President and Vice-President is five years. He submits that for the President minimum membership is 20 years, for VicePresident minimum membership is 10 years and for any other post minimum membership is at least 5 years of the Bar Association. He submits that none of the members, who have less than five years, have been permitted to participate in the subject election. He further submits that election has already been notified and the entire election process has commenced and no petition impugning the election process can be entertained at this stage and, in case, any person is aggrieved, the only remedy is to file an election petition after the result is declared.

Admittedly the petitioner has been a member of the Bar Association just over two years ago and has not been a member for five years and his candidature has been rejected on the said ground. The Bye laws of the Bar Association stipulate a period of 5 years prior to contesting any election. Petitioner has not been a member for five years. Further, the election process has already commenced and the polling date is 08.11.2025. Consequently, we are not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage.

Accordingly, petition is rejected leaving the questions raised by the petitioner open.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.