Kerala High Court receives petition accusing impropriety in elections for Kollam Bar Association
The legal landscape in Kollam, Kerala, has been shaken by a petition filed by advocate Dheeraj Ravi, a former President of the Kollam Bar Association. Ravi is contesting the election results of the Board of Directors of the Kollam Bar Association, held on July 5, 2025, alleging several procedural irregularities and violations of electoral norms.
The petition centres around the Kollam Bar Association's elections, which elect nine directors from nine constituencies. Ravi was a candidate from Constituency No. 3. During the initial vote count, Ravi was tied with the winning candidate. However, after a recount, he lost by a single vote.
The petitioner alleges that a clearly valid vote in his favour was declared invalid in the recount process. Furthermore, the recount was conducted without the personal supervision of the returning officer, violating standards of fairness and transparency. Ballots were handed over to volunteers for recounting without proper supervision, and the final tabulation sheet was reused and overwritten, raising concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the election result.
The petition also alleges that the outgoing office bearers of the Kollam Bar Association, including the then president and secretary, interfered with the polling and counting process. Unauthorised individuals were reported to have cast votes, and the recounting process was vitiated.
The legal petition states that the Kollam Bar Association is registered as a non-trading company under the Kerala Non-Trading Companies Act, 1961, and is subject to provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. Due to the bar on civil court jurisdiction under Section 430 of the Companies Act, the petitioner approached the Kerala High Court for remedy.
The Kerala High Court issued notice to the Bar Council of Kerala and Kollam Bar Association, with the case titled Dheeraj Ravi v. Bar Council of Kerala & Ors., case number WP(C) 28082/2025, and posted for hearing on August 8, 2025. The petition is supported by a legal team consisting of advocates Akhil Suresh, Kalliyani Krishna B., Amrith M.J., Anita Elizebeth Babu, and Rahul T.
The petition seeks to quash the poll results for Constituency No. 3 and direct a fresh election under court-monitored conditions. It also requests the appointment of an Advocate Commissioner to supervise a fresh poll or conduct a proper recount after taking custody of all election materials.
The case is not without controversy. An incident of physical assault during the recount was reported, where the petitioner's polling agent was manhandled in the presence of the returning officer. Moreover, the returning officer who conducted the election and oversaw the recount was later appointed as Convenor of the Grievance Committee, which was a clear conflict of interest, according to the petition.
As the Kerala High Court prepares to hear the case, the Kollam Bar Association elections remain under scrutiny, with the future of its Board of Directors hanging in the balance. The outcome of this legal challenge could set a precedent for future elections in the region and beyond.
- The controversy surrounding the Kollam Bar Association's elections, which fall under policy-and-legislation as they are subject to the Companies Act, 2013 and the Kerala Non-Trading Companies Act, 1961, has escalated to the Kerala High Court, following a petition filed by advocate Dheeraj Ravi.
- The petition, supported by a legal team, seeks to question the integrity of the elections, involving allegations of procedural irregularities, unfair vote counting, and conflicts of interest in the Kollam Bar Association politics, with implications that could potentially shape future elections within the general-news landscape of Kerala and beyond.
