SCBA Annual Day function: 300 plus Members demand General Body Meeting

Around 300 members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have sought a General Body Meeting to authorise the SCBA President to organise SCBA Annual Day Function at a suitable place outside the Supreme Court premises..The notice requesting for General Body Meeting has been signed by more than 300 members and will be submitted to the SCBA Secretary..This step has been resorted to after disagreement cropped up within the Executive Committee of the SCBA regarding the venue for holding the SCBA Annual Day Function..By way of background, the current SCBA after its first Executive Committee meeting decided to celebrate SCBA Annual Day on August 25, which is the date when the SCBA came into existence. The decision to hold an Annual Day was approved by the committee..Thereafter, thirteen members of the Executive Committee, which excluded the President, Vice President and Secretary passed a resolution on April 4 that the Annual Day will be celebrated within the premises of the Supreme Court..Subsequently, a committee was constituted by SCBA President Vikas Singh to determine whether a gathering of 10,000-11000 people can be accommodated in the Supreme Court lawns or not..The Committee comprising Senior Advocates Anukul Chandra Pradhan, Vikrant Yadav and advocates Sukumar Pattjoshi, Vijay Panjwani, Meenesh Dube and Pijush Kanti Roy reached the following conclusion:.The space in the lawn is inadequate for putting up stands..Parking for 2500 or more cars is not available.Security clearance for allowing these many people inside the Supreme Court Complex, not likely to be granted as it may pose a security threat for Star Artists and dignitaries.Since the event is in the month of August, the chances of rain disrupting the function is not ruled out.Logistically it does not look feasible to have an event of such a magnitude at such a small space available in the Supreme Court Lawn..Thereafter, an Executive Committee meeting was held on April 10, wherein majority members (11 out of 21) voted that the function should be held in the Supreme Court premises and not in a indoor stadium, which was the idea originally postulated..President Vikas Singh then decided that the event should be cancelled. In an email, sent to the members yesterday, Singh stated that,.“Since the holding of the said event was the singular brain child of the President and since the event, according to the President and also to the Committee appointed by him, in the scale in which it was planned cannot be held in the Supreme Court campus, it has been decided to cancel holding of the Annual Day and to return/refund the money which has been collected from the Corporates.”.The whole dischord in the EC, particularly by the eleven EC members, has not found favour with many members of the Bar, who by way of a notice have condemned the actions of these eleven members of the Executive Committee. Reproving their conduct, the members have accused the office bearers to have acted against the interests of the Bar thereby leading to the cancellation of “an event for which the entire bar has been eagerly waiting.”.The notice also highlights several incidents, which have occurred in the recent past, when the same office bearers acted against the interest of the Bar. It states,.“The same group of the EC members had previously objected to the holding of Annual SCBA cricket tournament in Dehra Dun and due to their malicious act, the sponsor walked out from his offer to organize the memorable cricket tournament at the International Cricket Stadium, Dehra Dun. These members have always pressed their agenda above the interest of the SCBA.”.“we have witnessed that the same group of EC Members have raised the issue of Proximity Cards for accessing the Hon’ble Supreme Court Judges Corridor to Joint Secretary, Treasurer, and Joint Treasurer.”.Concurring with the proposal of the President that the Annual Day should be held in an Indoor Stadium, these members have requested for a General Body Meeting and have proposed the following resolution for consideration at the General Body Meeting.“To authorise the President SCBA to organise the SCBA annual Day at any other suitable place other than the Supreme Court lawns”..Read the notice.