CHENNAI: The issue relating to counting of votes polled in the elections held to Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on March 28 last has turned murkier with Justices G M Akbar Ali and T Mathivanan, retired HC judges appointed as Returning Officers, putting in their papers on Wednesday.
According to sources close to the Bar Council of India (BCI) in New Delhi, the statutory body governing legal education and profession, its Election Tribunal accepted their resignations on Thursday and directed the BCI to replace the posts with new hands and to hold the counting of the votes.
While Justice Akbar Ali resigned from the post on medical grounds, Justice Mathivanan followed suit as he could not discharge his duties all alone. It is also learnt that Justice Akbar Ali has been hospitalised. It would be interesting to note that Justice K Chandru, a retired judge of the High Court, has suggested to the duo to step down from the posts as they were being “humiliated”.
Both retired judges were appointed to hold the elections on March 28 and the counting was scheduled for April 7. But it was postponed to April 9. It was deferred indefinitely by the ROs, following the intervention of Election Tribunal attached to the BCI in Delhi last Saturday. The tribunal was adamant in its stand and had rejected the suggestions of the ROs on each and every occasion to hold the counting of the votes as quickly as possible, it is learnt.