On 28-1-2026, the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee issues key directions for Telangana Bar Council Elections.
The 3-member Supervisory Committee consisted of:
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Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India (Chairperson)
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Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, Former Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court (Member)
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Mr. V. Giri, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India (Member)
The order was issued in response to concerns raised by advocate Narendar Rao Thaneer, who had highlighted issues affecting the fairness of the upcoming Bar Council elections. The Committee directed the Returning Officer to disclose, before polling, the complete procedure for counting of votes.
Key Concerns:
The appellant, an advocate enrolled with the Telangana State Bar Council and practising before the Supreme Court, wrote emails on January 21, 24 and 26 seeking directions regarding the conduct of the upcoming Bar Council elections.
Appellant brough two issues before the committee:
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Alleged Bribing of Voters
The appellant claimed that voters were being offered money in exchange for their votes and that they were being asked to photograph their ballot papers to provide proof of the vote cast for particular candidates. To curb such alleged malpractice, he urged the adoption of strict frisking and security measures similar to those followed in high-stakes examinations such as NEET, IIT-JEE, and CLAT.
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Disclosure of the Vote-Counting Procedure
The appellant requested pre-poll disclosure of the method or procedure that would be followed for counting votes, stating that transparency before polling was necessary to ensure a fair and credible election process.
However, the Committee noted that no material or evidence had been provided to substantiate the allegations of bribery or malpractice.
The Committee observed that although the Returning Officer responded to the appellant’s concerns on 27-1-2026, no direct order had previously been passed by the Supervisory Committee itself.
The Committee held that any delay would render the matter infructuous, because polling was scheduled for 30-01-2026. It therefore treated the appellant’s representations as a formal appeal to ensure timely adjudication.
Returning Officer’s Clarifications
In response to the allegations, the Returning Officer stated:
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Mobile phones and cameras were already prohibited inside polling stations.
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Searching for pen-cameras, button cameras, or smartwatches was neither possible nor desirable, since ballot papers were manually filled.
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Web-cameras and continuous video recording would monitor voter movement inside the polling station.
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Detailed instructions had already been issued to Polling Officers 12-1-2026 and voters, requiring the deposit of devices if anyone carried them inadvertently.
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An interactive session on 24-01-2026 was conducted for contesting candidates and Polling Officers to reinforce compliance with the guidelines.
Key Directions issued by the Supervisory Committee:
Upon inquiry, the Returning Officer informed the Supervisory Committee that there was no difficulty in revealing the counting methodology ahead of the polls.
⮚ Accordingly, the Committee directed that:
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The complete counting procedure must be disclosed at the earliest and positively by the evening of 29-01-2026.
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The procedure must be uploaded on the official website of the Telangana State Bar Council.
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The Committee emphasized that such transparency should be pre-election, not post-election.
⮚ The Committee also relied on previously issued directions (12-1-2026), including:
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Continuous video recording with CCTV support from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
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Mandatory deposit of mobile phones or cameras with the Polling Officer if any voter inadvertently carried them.
The Committee held that these measures were sufficient for maintaining electoral integrity at this stage. Any grievances regarding alleged malpractice could be pursued post-election, if necessary, through appropriate legal remedies such as an election petition.
With these observations, the appeal was disposed of on 28-1-2026.