Infighting in SCBA: Executive Committee suspends Secy Ashok Arora

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 8

In the midst of COVID-19 lockdown, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) is witnessing intense infighting.

A day after SCBA’s Ashok Arora called a meeting on May 11 via video conferencing (web meeting) to consider removal of senior advocate Dushyant Dave as president of the bar body, its executive committee on Friday suspended him from the post with immediate effect and gave his powers to Assistant Secretary Rohit Pandey.

The SCBA Executive Committee also cancelled the proposed meeting convened by Arora and set up a three-member panel to look into the allegations against him.

Arora called the decision undemocratic.

"They suspended me on vague and baseless allegation. In fact their undemocratic action damaged the reputation of this prestigious Bar," Arora said, accusing the executive committee of intimidating him at various occasions.

Earlier, invoking Rule 22 of the SCBA Rules, Arora had called a meeting to discuss removal of Dave from the primary membership of SCBA, misuse of the bar body for political purposes and withdrawal of a resolution passed in February condemning Justice Arun Mishra's statement praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a judicial conference here.

SCBA should not be used for political agenda, Arora had said.

Unfazed by the allegations, Dave had asserted that being the elected President of the SCBA, he will continue to serve the bar body till the end of his tenure.

"It will have no purpose nor can it achieve any objective except to tarnish reputation of this great body, SCBA. I am the President elected lawfully and will continue to serve you till my term is over. This attempt violates every cannon of procedure and law and has no legs to stand," Dave had said in a letter to SCBA members.