SRINAGAR: The District Magistrate Anantnag has declared the District Bar Association elections held on October 27 null and void, citing violations of official orders and failure to fulfil mandatory requirements.
In an order dated October 28, the District Magistrate said the elections had been conducted despite an existing prohibition and without obtaining the administration’s permission.
The administration had prohibited the association’s election process through an order issued on January 2, 2025, directing it to submit its registration certificate, constitution or memorandum of association, bye-laws, details of current and former executive members, and relevant financial records for verification.
The prohibition was reiterated through another order dated September 28, 2026, which remains in force, the District Magistrate said.
According to the latest order, the administration learnt through social media that an organisation operating under the name of the District Bar Association Anantnag had conducted elections on October 27. The order stated that the exercise took place without prior intimation or permission from the District Magistrate and before the prescribed requirements had been fulfilled.
The District Magistrate also cited alleged violations of the Societies Registration Act, 1860, as applicable in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.
Declaring the elections “null and void, ab initio and non-est in the eyes of law”, the administration directed that the results would have no legal validity.
