The Kerala High Court on Tuesday permitted advocates of Kollam bar association to cast their votes in the association elections due to be held on March 27.
The petitioner, Umayanalloor K. Ramachandran Nair, along with three other advocates, who are members of the Kollam bar association, have approached the High Court to issue a writ of mandamus, order or direction or any other appropriate writ commanding the Kollam bar association to accept the annual subscription from the petitioners and include their names in the voters list and allow them to participate in the voting to election of the managing committee of the Kollam bar association.
Counsel for the bar association submitted that the election to the bar association is scheduled on March 27, 2021 and taking into account the seniority and long years of practice rendered by the Umayanalloor K. Ramachandran Nair, the association does not propose to oppose this writ petition and all the petitioners can be permitted to participate in the election by casting their votes, provided petitioners remit the arrears of subscription, if any, at the latest by March 25.
Counsel further informed the court that the filing of nominations and all other procedures are already over and only the polling is remaining. The steps completed so far cannot be unsettled, except the inclusion of the name of the petitioners in the list of eligible voters as may be permitted by the High Court.
A Single-Judge Bench of Justice N. Nagaresh after hearing the submission from both the Counsel ordered, “The writ petition is disposed of permitting the petitioners to remit arrears of subscription, if any, to the 1st respondent-Kollam bar association. If the petitioners remit outstanding arrears, if any, on or before March 25, 2021, there will a further direction to the respondents to permit the petitioners to cast their votes in the association elections scheduled to be held on March 27, 2021 or on any other deferred date.”