Amidst bitter protest in Lucknow during the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council elections, the Bar Council elections have been postponed indefinitely. Returning Officer and former High Court Justice A.R. Mausmai decided to postpone the voting until orders. The protesting Advocates tore up pamphlets and threw them and also smashed chairs and tables. They claimed that there was already a tick next to a candidate's name on the ballot paper. Voting for the much-awaited four-phase election of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh had commenced on January 16. A total of 25 members will be elected from among 333 candidates who are in the fray.The first phase of the election was held in districts beginning with the letters A, B and C, where advocates cast their votes on January 16 and 17. The second phase of voting took place on January 20 and 21 in districts starting with the letters D to J. The third phase was scheduled for January 27 and 28 in districts beginning with the letters K to M, while the final and fourth phase was to be held on January 30 and 31 in districts starting with the letters P to V. After the completion of polling, all ballot boxes was planned to be sent to Prayagraj by February 3, 2026. The date for counting of votes has not been announced as yet. In Lucknow, polling was underway amidst uproar during the third phase on January 27 and 28 at the high court campus.
Each advocate is entitled to vote for 25 candidates. On a single ballot paper, voters can cast votes for up to 25 candidates of their choice. On earlier occasions, voting was conducted only at the district level within district court complexes. But the current elections are being held at three levels within each district. The main polling centre has been established at the district court complex, where most advocates from the city will vote. Besides this ocal booths have been set up at sub-divisional courts for the convenience of advocates. A total of 2,49,808 advocates holding Certificates of Practice (CoP) are authorised to vote in the election.
Notably, the nomination fee for the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council elections is ₹1.50 lakh, along with an additional ₹25,000 for the voter list covering 80 districts, collected by the Bar Council. The fee is higher than that for parliamentary, legislative assembly, and presidential elections. Each candidate was required to pay the nomination fee.
The UP Bar elections are being monitored by a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court. The committee is chaired by former chief justice of the Jharkhand high court, justice Ravi Ranjan. Its members include former Allahabad high court judge S.R. Masuri and former Delhi high court judge Rekha Palli. The state’s election officer is former Allahabad high court judge Arvind Kumar Tripathi, while former judge Surendra Singh has been appointed as the observer.
The districts which went for voting on January 16–17 2026 were: Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Ambedkarnagar, Amethi, Amroha, Auraiya, Azamgarh, Baghpat, Bahraich, Ballia, Balrampur, Banda, Barabanki, Bareilly, Basti, Bhadohi, Bijnor, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Chandauli, and Chitrakoot.
It is noteworthy that in M. Varadhan vs. Union of India & Ors. (2025), Supreme Court's 3-Judge Bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N.K. Singh had passed a 50-page long order dated November 18, 2025. The 26 Respondents are: 1. Union of India, 2 Bar Council of India, 3. Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh, Through Chairman, 4. Bar Council of Assam, Through Chairman, 5. Bihar State Bar Council Through Chairman, 6. Bar Council of Chhattisgarh, Through Chairman, 7. Bar Council of Delhi, Through Chairman, 8. Bar Council of Gujarat, Through Chairman, 9. Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh, Through Chairman, 10. Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir, Through Its Chairman, 11. Jharkhand State Bar Council, Through Chairman, 12. Bar Council of Karnataka, Through Chairman, 13. Bar Council of Kerala, Through Chairman, 14. Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh, Through Its Chairman, 15. Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, Through Chairman, 16. Bar Council of Manipur, Through Chairman, 17. Bar Council of Meghalaya, Through Chairman, 18. Odisha State Bar Council, Through Chairman, 19. Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Through Chairman, 20. Bar Council of Rajasthan, Through Chairman, 21. Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Through Chairman, 22. Bar Council of Telangana, Through Chairman, 23. Bar Council of Tripura, Through Chairman, 24. Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, Through Its Chairman, 25. Bar Council of Uttarakhand, Through Chairman and 26. Bar Council of West Bengal, Through Chairman. The case was filed on October 31, 2023, registered on November 23, 2023 and verified on December 1, 2023. It was listed for hearing on January 13, 2026. It is listed for hearing on February 24, 2026.
The order reads:"The controversy in this batch of cases, including various applications filed from time to time, revolves around fair, transparent, and timely conduction of elections for the State Bar Councils. 2. It is not necessary for us to go into the allegations or counter-allegations made by various stakeholders. All that we take notice of is that there are twenty-three State Bar Councils in India, out of which elections to the State Bar Councils of Bihar and Chhattisgarh have already been conducted. 3. In the case of Bihar, the results have been declared, and some aggrieved members have already approached the Election Tribunal No. III of the Bar Council of India. We do not wish to express any opinion in relation to the fairness of the aforesaid election since the matter is sub-judice before the Tribunal."
It added: "The entire election process, including counting of votes, shall be controlled and monitored through their direct supervision by the High-Powered Election Committees, constituted hereinafter. 12. With a view to facilitate the effective conduction of these elections, we deem it appropriate that elections to different State Bar Councils ought to take place in a phased manner. To that end, we issue the following directions: I. The State Bar Councils of Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, where the elections have already been notified, shall conclude their elections by 31.01.2026. The counting of votes and subsequent declaration of results shall, in any case, be concluded on or before 28.02.2026. The elections will be conducted under the direct supervision of the High-Powered Election Committee – Phase I, comprising the following three members: (i) Justice Ravi Ranjan, former Chief Justice, Jharkhand High Court (Chairperson); (ii) Justice A.R. Masoodi, former Judge, Allahabad High Court; and (iii) Justice Rekha Palli, former Judge, Delhi High Court.
The order also reads: "14. In addition to the High-Powered Election Committees constituted above, we also deem it appropriate to constitute a three-member High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee, on a pan- India basis, which shall be headed by a former Judge of this Court and shall also comprise one former Chief Justice of a High Court and one renowned Senior Advocate, who does not contest election(s) of the Bar Councils or the Bar Associations. For the same, in this regard, we appoint the following as members of such Supervisory Committee: (i) Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, former Judge, Supreme Court of India (Chairperson); (ii) Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court; and (iii) Shri V. Giri, Senior Advocate." It observed: "19. During the course of hearing, it is seen that several lawyers have individual and varied grievances. We are afraid such individual grievances cannot be addressed in these proceedings. Liberty is, hence, granted to them to apply before the High-Powered Election Committee(s) for redressal of their individual issue(s). 20. Any person who is aggrieved by the decision of the High-Powered Election Committee shall be at liberty to approach the High-Powered Supervisory Committee. The decision taken by the Supervisory Committee shall be final. No civil court or High Court shall entertain any petition(s) against such decision. 21. To enable the Committees constituted herein to perform their functions, we direct the Bar Council of India to make available adequate secretarial assistance to the respective Committees, as required. 22. In addition, the respective Chairpersons and Members of the High-Powered Election Committees, as well as the Chairperson and Members of the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee, shall be entitled to a reasonable honorarium along with other perks, the amount and modalities of which may be finally decided by the Chairperson of the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee in consultation with the Bar Council of India."
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