J&K Scraps Anantnag Bar Association Polls Over "Blatant Violation"

The Jammu and Kashmir administration scrapped the elections of Anantnag district's bar association the day after they were held. In an order issued by Anantnag's district magistrate, the polls held on October 27 have been declared "null and void" on the grounds that they were conducted in "blatant violation of orders and official permission".According to lawyers, the Anantnag Bar Association has around 700 lawyers who voted in the election for the posts of president and secretary. The order issued by the district magistrate said the elections were conducted in violation of provisions of the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (as applicable in Jammu and Kashmir) and Indian Trust Act, 1882. "The elections conducted by the organisation operating under the name and style of District Bar Association Anantnag, held on 27-10-2026, are hereby declared null and void, ab initio and non-est in the eyes of law," read the order.The officer said that the lawyers' body failed to fulfil the prerequisite conditions to hold the elections and conducted them "without any intimation to this office and without any permission from this office".Citing orders issued in January 2025, the district magistrate said that "the election process of the District Bar Association, Anantnag, was prohibited under an order dated 02-01-2025". According to the order, the bar association needed to submit a registration certificate, constitution and memorandum, bye-laws governing the functioning of the organisation, a list of current executive members and members enrolled during the preceding ten years along with their complete details, and a detailed statement of accounts before holding the polls.The order also required verification of the submitted documents and obtaining the necessary permission from the office of the district magistrate before proceeding with the election process."However, owing to the non-fulfilment of the prescribed requirements, the election process was again prohibited vide Order No. 62-DCA of 2026, dated September 28, 2026. The said order remains in force," an official spokesman said. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, elections of civil society groups including bar associations, trade bodies, employee unions were impacted, attracting intense scrutiny. However, after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah came to power in 2024, he promised to work on revival of civil society institutions such as the bar association and the press club.