New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) The Supreme Court was informed today that a recount of votes in the 2025 Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections will take place following serious complaints of irregularities.
The recount is being conducted particularly for the post of President, as the number of votes counted exceeded the number of voting slips issued.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta took note of the submissions made by Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria, a member of the SCBA Election Committee constituted by the Court.
He reported that candidates Dr. Adish C. Aggarwala and Mr. Pradeep Rai had raised objections after it was found that 2,651 votes were counted, even though only 2,588 ballot slips had been issued.
Hansaria said, “We are proposing to recount today at 11:30 a.m..”
Justice Kant directed that the results of the recount not be declared until a report is submitted to the Court for its scrutiny.
The bench also emphasised the importance of fairness, stating, “We’d like to see if it’s fair after recounting.”
The recounting will also extend to Executive Committee (EC) members, as complaints regarding discrepancies were received in those categories as well.
The Registrar General of the Supreme Court has been appointed Observer for the recount process.
This development follows a May 23 hearing, during which the same bench had taken a strong stand on electoral integrity in response to Dr. Adish C. Aggarwala’s plea.
Justice Surya Kant had then stated, “If the allegations are substantiated, we will set aside the election.” The Court also reiterated that any evidence of “gross illegality, including impersonation of voters”, will be taken seriously.
Aggarwala, former president of the SCBA, had filed a plea challenging the 2025 SCBA election results after losing to Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, who reportedly received 1,047 votes to Aggarwala’s 683.
The plea alleges electoral fraud, model code violations, and collusion between the Election Committee, Vikas Singh, and former SCBA President Kapil Sibal.
He also accused Election Commissioner and Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani of campaigning for Singh in breach of neutrality norms. The plea states that excess votes, uncounted ballots, and election-day campaign messaging tainted the fairness of the poll.
Justice Kant, while maintaining judicial restraint, warned against attempts to “browbeat” the Election Committee, calling its members “extended arms of the Court”.
He expressed displeasure at a letter allegedly written by Aggarwala suggesting criminal prosecution of the Election Committee members.
Hansaria told the bench that recounting for Executive Committee posts may take 2–3 days, and that some members are currently unavailable. The Court responded that it may substitute EC members if needed to ensure the recount proceeds without delay.
The bench has already directed the preservation of CCTV footage from the polling process.
Meanwhile, Justice Kant advised Aggarwala to file a formal application along with an affidavit, which will be considered by a Special Bench including himself and Justice K.V. Viswanathan, which is handling broader SCBA electoral reform issues in the SCBA v. B.D. Kaushik case.
The next course of action will depend on the outcome of the recount and the final report.
The Supreme Court has made it unequivocally clear that if substantial irregularities are proven, the entire election may be invalidated.
