BCI appoints Justice (Retd.) GM Akbar Ali as Returning Officer to oversee TN Bar Council elections [Read Notification]

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has appointed Justice (Retd.) GM Akbar Ali as Returning Officer to oversee the conduct of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Bar Council elections. The appointment has been made following the recent representations made to this effect by Special Committee members of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu (BCTN)..Earlier this month, Advocate General, Vijay Narayan – who also functions as ex-officio chairman of a Special Committee to the BCTN – had expressed apprehensions that there may be malpractices afoot in the conduct of the Bar Council elections. Therefore, he sought to dissociate the office of the AG from the elections and suggested that a retired High Court judge be appointed to oversee the process..In a detailed response to the AG’s representation, Special Committee members, Senior Advocate R Singaravelan and Advocate Chandrasekharan, had also expressed their willingness to have a retired judge appointed to conduct the elections..Therefore, the BCI has informed that it unanimously resolved to appoint Justice GM Akbar Ali, former judge of the Madras High Court, as Returning Officer to this end..The notification issued on Monday by the BCI also informs that the BCI has resolved to appoint three retired Chief Justice of the High Courts and retired judges of the High Courts for looking after the election affairs, although these judges have not been named yet..The resolution passed by the BCI states:.“Mr. Vijaynarayan, Chairman of the Special Committee of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had forwarded a letter dated 15.1.2018 for the appointment of retired judge of Hon’ble High Court of Madras to conduct free and fair election for the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the other two Special Committee Members viz Mr. R. Singaravelan, Sr. Advocate and Mr. N Chandrasekharan, Advocate have also written a detailed letter on 16.1.2018 requesting the Bar Council to conduct the election in a free and unbiased manner. .As all the Special Committee Members of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu have requested this Council to appoint the retired judges of the Madras High Court to conduct a free and fair election for the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, this Council unanimously resolves to appoint the three retired Chief Justice of the High Courts and retired judges of the High Courts for looking after the election affairs and further this Council resolves to appoint Hon’ble Justice GM Akbar Ali as the Returning Officer to conduct the elections of Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in accordance with this the Schedule mentioned by the Bar Council of India.”.By the same notification, the BCI has also notified that the State Bar Council elections will be conducted on March 28, 2018. The schedule issued by the BCI in this regard is as follows:.25.01.2018 – Publication of Notice in Official Gazette and two Daily Newspapers one in English and another in Regional01.02.2018 – Filing of Nominations15.02.2018 – Last date for receipt of nominations22.02.2018 – Last date withdrawal of nominations01.03.2018 – Publication of final list of candidates28.03.2018 – Date of Election.Read Notification below.