The Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh has notified the election of 18 members. Polling was held on April 20 and results declared on May 20. The process was verified by a Supreme Court-appointed committee. Two women members will also be co-opted.
The Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh has officially notified the election of 18 members to the State Bar Council following elections conducted earlier this year, with the process completed under the provisions of the Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh Election Rules.
According to a gazette notification issued by Bar Council Secretary Pushpa Thakur, polling for the elections was held on April 20, while the results were declared on May 20 by Returning Officer Justice VK Sharma (Retd.), former judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
Verification and SC Directives
The notification said the election process and results were verified by an independent committee constituted pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court. The committee comprised Justice J.R. Midha (Retd.) as Chairperson, Justice Satyen Vaidya (Retd.) as Member and J.K. Sharma (Retd.), former Registrar General of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, as Member.
The Bar Council further stated that, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order dated December 8, 2025, in Yogamaya M.G. vs Union of India and Others, two women advocates will be co-opted as members of the State Bar Council, in addition to the 18 elected members.
Newly Elected Members
The elected members are Ajay Kochhar (Senior Advocate, Himachal Pradesh High Court), Amit Sharma (District Court, Chakkar, Shimla), Amit Vaid (Himachal Pradesh High Court), I.N. Mehta (Senior Advocate, Himachal Pradesh High Court), Narendra Guleria (District Court, Mandi), Rajiv Kumar Rai (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Ranjna Patial (Civil Court, Dehra, Kangra), Ritu Singh (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Sandeep Kumar (Civil Courts, Paonta Sahib), Sanjeev Bhushan (Senior Advocate, Himachal Pradesh High Court), Sanjeev K. Suri (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Shivani Sharma (District Courts, Kullu), Suchitra Thakur (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Tarun Pathak (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Vikas Rathore (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Vikrant Chandel (Himachal Pradesh High Court), Vipin Pandit (District Courts, Solan) and Virbahadur Verma (Himachal Pradesh High Court).
With the notification, the newly elected members will constitute the elected body of the Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh, while two additional women members will be inducted through the co-option process in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
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