The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election campaigning has hotted up with Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal entering the fray in the last moment for the President’s post. Sibal’s main contender is Pradeep Rai, SCBA Vice-President for two terms and an active Senior Advocate known for his concern for members’ cause.  Sibal, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party, had filed his nomination on May 9, a mere seven days before the elections on May 16. The nomination of Sibal has triggered a debate whether a politician should contest and hold the presidentship of the SCBA. 

Justice PV Shetty, former Lokayukta, Karnataka, told India Legal: “The President-elect should not make use of the position as the office-bearer of the association to improve his position. His political will should not find place in the association’s acitivity. It should be kept separate. One is elected as the President of the SCBA and one should not use the position to improve his political status.”

The SCBA’s mandate is to facilitate a constructive dialogue between the Bar and the Bench, nurturing an environment conducive to the administration of justice. However, partisanship can effectively mar any such interactive effort. A politician brings with himself a baggage of not only entrenched ideologies but vested interests too. He juggles two careers and two ambitions at a time. It opens up the SCBA or any organisation to become a tool of partisan motives, turning it into an impediment rather than a facilitator of legal discourse. This has potential to erode public trust in the judiciary and compromise the sanctity of law administration and justice.

Justice Sridhar Rao, former acting chief justice of Gauhati High Court, told India Legal: “Allowing a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly to hold senior posts in the SCBA is not tenable. The association will then have the character of a political party. It will also affect the unity of the Bar.”

Accessibility is another crucial factor that underscores the unsuitability of politicians for leadership roles within professional bodies such as the SCBA. A politician’s hectic schedule, divided between political engagements and legal pursuits, leaves little room for meaningful engagement with the grassroots members of the Bar. A leader who is inaccessible to the common man cannot truly understand their concerns and represent their interests effectively.

Prof Suryaprakash, Vice Chancellor, National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal, told India Legal:  “Article 19 (i) (c) provides for freedom to form associations and unions. The SCBA has been formed not for political aggrandisement but for protection and promotion of advocates interests and rights; and to facilitate administration of justice. SCBA assists the highest court in justice delivery system, and is a part of justice delivery system. The Bar and the Bench go hand in hand. No politician should head the SCBA as it would make all political parties vie with each other to set up their own candidate and would thus make the association a political arena. Bar and Bench go hand in hand. No politician should head the SCBA. It should be headed only by legal professionals.”

Sibal was previously elected SCBA President three times, his last tenure was twenty-three years ago in 2001. Before that, he was President during the 1995-96 and 1997-98 terms. Kapil Sibal also served as the Additional Solicitor General of India during 1989–90.

Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai has over 25 years of standing at the Bar in the Supreme Court of India, various High Courts, Commissions, Regulatory Bodies and Tribunals. During his two terms as Vice-President, SCBA, Rai has taken quite a few initiative to promote the interests of the SCBA members which includes mediation programs, members housing , health benefits for members, chamber allotment and cultural programs.

Incumbent SCBA President Senior Advocate Adish Aggarwala is standing for re-election. Apart from Sibal, Rai and Aggarwala, Senior Advocate Priya Hingorani, Advocates Neeraj Srivastava and Tripurari Ray are also in the fray.

The SCBA elections will be held on May 16 . Voters will choose the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. A debate will be held in the Supreme Court lawns between the candidates for the posts of President and Hony Secretary on May 15. Votes will be counted on May 18, Saturday.

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Voting for the 4th phase of Lok Sabha elections is undergoing in 96 parliamentary constituencies across 9 states and 1 Union territory on Monday. 62% voter turnout have been recorded till 5pm, with Jammu & Kashmir being the lowest at 75.66 % and West Bengal being highest at 35.75%.

All 175 seats of the state legislative assembly of Andhra Pradesh and 28 seats of the state legislative assembly of Odisha are also witnessing undergoing elections on Monday. Voters are exercising their franchise in all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, 25 in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 in Bihar, 4 in Jharkhand, 8 in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, 4 in Odisha, 8 in West Bengal, and 1 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Election Commission of India said a total of 1,717 candidates from 10 States/UTs are contesting elections in phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections. According to ECI, a total of 4,264 nominations were filed for 96 parliamentary constituencies all over India.

The electoral fate of many prominent candidates, including Union minister Giriraj Singh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and  Trinamool Congress leader Mohua Moitra, is going to be decided today as elections takes place in 96 Lok Sabha constituencies across 10 states and Union territories in the 4th phase of the general elections.

Similarly, all 175 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh are witnessing a 3-way battle involving the ruling YSRC, the Congress-led INDIA bloc, and the NDA, which includes the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP).  28 legislative assembly seats in Odisha are also undergoing elections in this phase.

A total of 1,717 candidates are contesting for the Lok Sabha seats, and more than 19 lakh polling officials have been stationed at 1.92 lakh polling booths to as a total of over 17.70 crore eligible voters, including 8.73 women, in the 4th phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, submitted his nomination for the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency ahead of tomorrow’s second round of voting. In front of Ram Gopal Yadav and other party leaders, the chief of the SP, who had previously contested the seat in 2000, 2004 and 2009, submitted the nomination.

Speaking with media, Ram Gopal Yadav said that SP would win the seat by a huge margin. The BJP candidate might lose his deposit in the seat, he said.

The Samajwadi Party has completely reversed its earlier plan to field former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav as their candidate, which is a significant political development.

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav told reporters, people will find out when the nomination takes place, in reference to the speculations that he will contest for the seat. The historic victory of Kannauj is the subject of inquiry.

The former chief minister continued, the people have decided that the India bloc is coming as the future and the BJP will be history in this election.

Notably, elections for the Kannauj seat are scheduled for May 13, which would intensify the political drama that is now playing out in Uttar Pradesh. Previously regarded as the Samajwadi Party’s stronghold, the seat was lost by the party in the 2019 election when Subrat Pathak of the BJP won with a resounding victory.

The candidates competing for the following Uttar Pradesh seats will find out their destiny in the second round of voting, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Amroha, Meerut, Mathura, Baghpat, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Bulandshahar.

Notably, two Bollywood celebrities running as BJP candidates in the second round are Hema Malini from Mathura and Arun Govil from Meerut. There are 91 contestants from UP competing in the second phase.

The seats in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Mathura are up for grabs, with a maximum of 15 applicants per seat. In Bulandshahr, six candidates are vying for the presidency. There are twelve contenders running in Amroha, eight in Meerut, seven in Baghpat, and fourteen in Ghaziabad and Aligarh.

1,67,77,198 votes will decide these candidates’ fates.

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The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded Tej Pratap Singh Yadav for the parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh, putting an end to rumours that its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, would contest from Kannauj.

Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his spouse Dimple previously held the seat.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son-in-law is Tej Pratap, a former MP from Mainpuri and Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew. The former Mainpuri MP has tied the knot with Raj Laxmi Yadav, Lalu’s daughter.

Ranveer Singh, the brother of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, is the grandfather of Tej Pratap. From 2014 to 2019, he was the MP for Mainpuri.

In addition to Tej Pratap, the Yadav family is running for the Lok Sabha seats in Mainpuri, Azamgarh, Badaun, and Ferozabad.

In opposition to Neeraj Shekhar of the BJP, the Party has put up Sanatan Pandey of Ballia.

Pandey had previously run from this location in 2019 on the SP ticket, but Virendra Singh Mast of the BJP defeated him.

Son of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, Neeraj Shekhar served as a member of parliament for the state of Rajasthan from 2007 to 2014, representing SP from Ballia, the seat his father had previously held.

Shekhar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2014 but lost the polls to his BJP opponent. After the SP decided not to field him in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he left the party and joined the BJP, which promoted him to the Upper House of Parliament.

On June 1, elections will be held in the Ballia Lok Sabha constituency.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 62 of the 80 seats in the 2019 general elections. It also added two seats that its ally Apna Dal (S) won. Ten seats were won by Mayawati’s BSP and five by Akhilesh Yadav’s SP. In contrast, the Congress party managed to secure a mere one seat.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav on Monday lashed out PM Modi accsuing him of not having respect for the constitution.

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Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has condemned the deployment of police officers dressed as priests at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief demanded the suspension of the officers and wondered who ordered to deployment of cops in such attire.   

On the orders of Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal, the male and female policemen have been deployed in the temple in the priests’ attire. While the female policemen were wearing a ‘salwar kurta’, the male policemen were in a ‘dhoti-kurta’.

Yadav questioned the system in UP and asked according to which police manual is it correct for policemen to be dressed as priests. Those who give such orders should be suspended, he added. If tomorrow any ‘thag’ (fraudster) takes advantage of this and loots the innocent public, then what will the UP government and administration answer, he further asked. He called it Condemnable in a post on X.

Police Commissioner Agarwal had earlier told reporters that people who come from far away places to have obeisance have regard for the priests and they often get hurt if they are pushed forward by the policemen.

The duty in the temple is different from other places as police have to manage different types of crowds here. The crowd here is not for creating law and order problems. The police are here to ensure easy darshan to people and help and guide them, the police officer said.

He added the devotees get hurt if being pushed by policemen, if the same thing is done by priests they take it in a positive way. Following the no-touch policy, policemen are being deployed in priests’ attire.

The Samajwadi Party had earlier announced its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav will be contesting from her existing seat in Mainpuri.

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Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has cleared all speculations that he will soon enter politics, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The actor said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that he would be the first one to announce it if he joins politics.

Taking to social media X, Sanjay Dutt posted, he would like to put all rumours about him joining politics to rest. He is not joining any party or contesting elections, the actor said. If he does decide to step into the political arena then he will be the first one to announce it, the Kalank actor remarked.

He also urged his fans to refrain from believing what is being circulated in the news about him as of now.

Reacting to his tweet, fans appreciated his decision of not joining politics. A user said, you are a good actor want to see you in films not in politics. Another said, good decision. A third user said films are best for him.  

The Khalnayak actor has denied rumors of his that he was going to enter politics. He rejected Maharashtra minister Mahadev Jankar’s 2019 claim that he will join his party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, according to a report. He had already been convinced to run for the Samajwadi Party in the 2009 Lok Sabha election by a close friend. But he pulled back. He then became general secretary of the Samajwadi Party. In December 2010, he left that position. Late-actor Sunil Dutt, Sanjay’s father, was a Congress MP.

However, Bollywood actors Govinda and Kangana Ranaut have joined politics, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Kangana is a Mandi-based BJP candidate running for office. Govinda joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Dutt will be next seen in the sci-fi horror comedy The Virgin Tree, which also stars Sunny Singh, Mouni Roy, and Palak Tiwari, in key roles. The actor has been also call on-board for Welcome To The Jungle alongside Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Akshay Kumar, and Disha Patani. On December 20, 2024, Welcome To The Jungle is scheduled to open in theaters.

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The BJP on Sunday criticized the INDIA bloc over its Loktantra Bachao rally against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. They asserted that the opposition wanted to safeguard dynasty politics and corruption, not democracy.

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that the opposition parties have been engulfed in total corruption. He added that the INDIA bloc is controlled by family fiefdom and their basic modus operandi of the politics is to create a communal, regional, linguistic divide and caste divide.

He further asserted that the opposition try to snatch the power and then fill up their coffers for the interest of their family. Now they are trying to raise this bogey of save democracy (Loktantra Bachao), he continued. He mentioned that the rally is instead to save family and hide corruption.

Apparently slamming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, Sudhanshu Trivedi said the INDIA bloc was trying to save the family and cover up corruption. Referring to the opposition alliance, the BJP leader said that these birds of the same feather have flocked together to protect their family fiefdom and corruption. Trivedi also claimed all the INDIA bloc parties were against the Ram Temple.

Furthermore, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed AAP for the rally. He asked if the court is not granting relief to Arvind Kejriwal, does that mean that the court is against him. He claimed that the rally is not about saving the democracy but an attempt to save their own corruption.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Rai said the BJP is afraid of the INDIA bloc’s unity and that they are speaking the language of fear. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed several countries have criticized the BJP over Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are also expected to address the event.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal termed her husband as a lion and said that he cannot be kept in jail for long. She was speaking at the Loktantra Bachao rally in Delhi today, which was organised by opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc to protest the arrest of the head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by the Enforcement Directorate.

In relation to a money laundering case involving the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy, the Chief Minister was detained on March 21. His custody under the Enforcement Directorate has been extended by a Delhi court till April 1 in order to allow for additional questioning.

In addition to Sunita Kejriwal, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and former chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray addressed the Opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren, and other prominent leaders were also present there.

Sunita Kejriwal spoke at the event and said her husband had conveyed a message from behind the bars.

But before reading his message, she questioned everone saying, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, put her husband in jail. Did the Prime Minister do the right thing? Do you believe that Kejriwal is a true patriot and honest person?, she added.

Sunita continued saying, the BJP members are claiming that since Kejriwal is in jail, he ought to step down. Should he resign? Calling her husband a lion, she said, they will not be able to keep him in jail for long.

The Delhi CM’s wife quoted the AAP national convenor’s statement and said, her husband is not asking for votes today. He wants to create a new India with 140 crore Indians. India is a magnificent country with a long history of civilization. From within the jail, he thinks  about Mother India and her pain.

Arvind Kejriwal’s message also stated that they will build a new India if the INDIA Opposition coalition is given the chance.

Concluding the speech, Sunita Kejriwal thanked everyone for giving massive support to her husband.

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The National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and other prominent members of the Opposition INDIA alliance are scheduled to speak at a Loktantra Bachao protest in Delhi on Sunday as a show of support against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. At the rally, Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, and the wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Kalpana Soren, are scheduled to address the protest.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with other prominent members of the INDIA bloc, will take part in the Opposition’s Loktantra Bachao (save democracy) rally at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan.

Other prominent leaders attending the event include former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, and others.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in relation to a money-laundering case involving excise policies. One of the main conspirators in the liquor scam was Kejriwal, according to the Enforcement Directorate.

The federal agency claims that the South Group paid the Delhi Chief Minister several crores of rupees as a kickback for creating the excise policy in Delhi and utilizing that money to win the elections in Goa and Punjab.

The authorities have given the AAP permission to hold the event, which is expected to draw over 20,000 participants. Speaking to reporters, party leader Atishi said the goal of the rally was to save democracy.

In anticipation of Sunday’s rally by leaders of the INDIA bloc at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, a large number of Delhi Police and paramilitary troops have been deployed in the center of the city.

The rally is permitted by the Delhi Police under specific restrictions, such as no marching, no tractor trollies, and no weapons.

It is taking place amid claims that the BJP-led central government is using its agencies to target the opposition and the imprisonment of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

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Mukhtar Ansari, gangster turned politician, who has been in jail since 2005, died due to cardiac arrest on Thursday. After Ansari’s death, his family alleged that the politician had been poisoned in the jail.  

Expressing sorrow, several opposition leaders demanded a probe into the death of Mukhtar Ansari. Notably, the gangster turned politician submitted an application in Barabanki court, alleging he was given some poisonous substance along with his food. He claimed that on March 19, his nerves and limbs started paining after he consumed the food.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav wrote on X that a few days ago Mukhtar Ansari complained that he had been poisoned in jail, yet it was not taken seriously. He added that prima facie the move does not seem justifiable and humane. He stated that constitutional institutions should take suo motu cognizance of such strange cases and incidents.

Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav said that the state is going through the worst phase of government anarchy. He added that it is the responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone’s life in every situation and at every place. 

The former Chief Minister added that the death of a hostage or prisoner while being confined in the police station, in a fight inside the jail, on falling ill inside the prison, while being taken to court, while being taken to hospital or during treatment in hospital will erode public confidence in the judicial process. He mentioned that such doubtful cases should be investigated under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. He claimed that the way the government bypasses the judicial process and adopts other methods is completely illegal. 

Taking to social media platform X, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said that the persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansari’s family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the facts in his death can be revealed. 

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said that the people of Ghazipur lost their favourite son and brother. He added that Mukhtar Ansari had made serious allegations against the administration that he was poisoned, but the government did not pay any attention to his treatment.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput stated that custodial deaths and firing in jail has become very common in Uttar Pradesh. He added that high level investigation should be conducted.

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