Kailashahar, September 20 : A section of lawyers has raised questions over the voter list and electoral process for the upcoming election of the Unakoti District Bar Association, alleging that the names of 11 lawyers were removed from the list without adequate explanation.
The lawyers claimed that the voter list had 78 members till February this year, but the number was subsequently reduced to 67.
The issue was raised at a press conference by lawyer Sandeep Debray, district convener of the BJP’s Law and Legal Affairs Department. Lawyers Kankan Debtrata and Sunirmal Deb were also present.
Debray also disputed a recent media report on the Bar Association election, which, he claimed, stated that a Left-Congress-backed panel had won unopposed and that the BJP Legal Cell had failed to field candidates.
He said the Bar Association was not affiliated to any political party and that the election should not be portrayed as a contest between political parties merely because individual lawyers may have different political affiliations.
On the voter list, Debray sought an explanation for the deletion of 11 names. He claimed that some of the lawyers removed from the list were engaged in providing legal assistance through institutions such as One Stop Centres and Child Welfare Committees.
According to Debray, such assignments did not constitute permanent government employment and the lawyers were paid on the basis of specific work and submitted work reports.
He questioned the basis on which lawyers engaged in such assignments were excluded from the voter list and alleged that a “technical” method had been used in preparing the list, resulting in some lawyers being deprived of their voting rights.
A section of lawyers has also sought clarity on the preparation of the voter list, the scheduling of the election and the reasons for holding the election after a prolonged gap.
The Bar Association’s response to the allegations was not immediately available.
The issue of the voter list is now likely to remain a key point of discussion ahead of the election.
