LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Dhanbad, May 12: Lawyers of the Dhanbad Bar Association are divided over the practice experience eligibility for contesting election for the posts of president and vice-president.
The Dhanbad Bar Association election is scheduled on June 8. The State Bar Council appointed election committee has fixed 25 years and 15 years of experience mandatory for contesting posts of president and vice-president respectively.
The election committee officers–advocate Devisharan Sinha and Arun Kumar Tiwary–said as per the Model Code of Conduct experience eligibility has been fixed for candidates. “However, this time posts of general secretary, joint secretary and treasurer have been exempted from this eligibility”.
But this decision has divided the lawyers of the Bar Association.
Senior advocate and former vice-president Jaya Kumar has opined against it and said all the posts should be opened for all. She said when only two years of experience is for ADJ then why would we make 25 years of experience for the president’s post?
“ Senior lawyers like Samar Srivastava, SN Mukherjee (Matida), Shahnawaj Akhtar, Sani Sharma and others are not interested to come while young advocates can’t come. In such a situation what would happen,” she said.
Advocate Kumar, who was senior vice-president in 2008-09, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put an embargo over 75 years old leaders for youngsters but at the same time, we are blocking their entry. Jaya Kumar had raised the issue in the past too when young advocate Prakash Sahay was elected general secretary of the Giridih Bar Association.
However, advocate Abhay Bhatt supported the decision of the election committee and said that the president of the Bar must be an experienced and senior person as he/she has to share the dais with judges and justices. The Bar would get benefit from an experienced president.
On the other hand, senior lawyer and president of the Jharkhand Advocate Welfare Committee, Dhaneswar Mahto has objected to the higher nomination fee in the election.
The election committee has fixed Rs 15,000 for the post of presidential candidate, Rs 10,000 for general secretary, Rs 7,500 for vice-president, Rs 7000 for treasurer, Rs 4,500 for assistant treasurer and Rs 2500 for executive members as a deposit.
“ Model Code of Conduct must be followed. This is a high amount and it should have been kept lower so that lawyers inspiring to contest the Bar poll would not have to think twice due to the high amount”, he said.
Another Lawyer Vinay Ambastha supported the 25 years experience eligibility and said that it is not a new condition albeit it has been followed since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct.
