The Delhi high court today implemented the ‘one bar one vote’ principle across all the courts in national capital, which means an advocate in Delhi can vote only once in one bar association, regardless of his or her multiple bar association memberships.

A division bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Siddharth Mridul said: “This rule would ensure that those with no commitment to courts and bar associations where they do not practice law, ordinarily, do not vote and defeat or diminish the value of votes of genuine practitioners.”

The court also directed to implement the principle of ‘one advocate one chamber’ with immediate effect in the high court and the six district courts.

It added that if an advocate has a chamber allotted in any of the courts in Delhi, he or she will not be eligible to apply for another chamber.

“Such a rule at once ensures that chambers are not monopolized only on the basis of seniority and by a few,” said the bench in its judgement passed on bunch of pleas filed by several lawyers.

The lawyers had sought directions that the principle of ‘one advocate one vote’ in one Bar, should be introduced for all bar associations, irrespective of the multitude of memberships of an advocate in Delhi. The pleas had further sought directions for the introduction of the concept of ‘one person one chamber’, in any one court complex in Delhi.

Also read our interview with Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Dushyant Dave - who would certainly welcome this judgment - about the peril facing the bar associations.