Kulbhushan Bhardwaj elected Gurugram District Bar Association president

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj was elected Gurugram District Bar Association president, defeating Vinod Rao by 244 votes in Friday’s election. Advocate Kulbhushan Bhardwaj was elected president of the Gurugram District Bar Association (DBA) on Friday, defeating Vinod Rao by 244 votes, according to the election results.Kulbhushan Bhardwaj won the Gurugram District Bar Association election, securing 1,834 votes against Vinod Rao’s 1,590 votes.Bhardwaj secured 1,834 votes, while Rao polled 1,590. Kamaljeet Kataria received 1,124 votes, followed by Santokh Singh with 358, Vinita Vashisht with 40 and Manoj Yadav with 24 votes.A total of 4,963 advocates voted out of 6,367 registered voters in the election. Polling began at 9am at 12 booths, and counting started after voting ended.Sahil Yadav was elected vice-president after a closely fought contest, defeating Daman Sharma by just two votes. Yadav secured 1,134 votes against Sharma’s 1,132. Anoop Yadav polled 976 votes, Lakshya Bhardwaj 965, Sudhir Singh 367 and Naresh Kumar 178.Reenu Maheshwari was elected additional vice-president from the women’s category with 2,218 votes, defeating Yogita Gurjar by 920 votes. Jyotsna Bucher secured 786 votes and Sunita Yadav 662.Prashant Thakran won the secretary’s post with 1,556 votes, defeating Vishvendra Yadav by 98 votes. Vishvendra polled 1,458 votes, while Shailendra Behl received 980, Rakesh Yadav 439, Khushbu Rani 278 and Praveen Yadav 253 votes.Vikram Yadav was elected joint secretary with 3,138 votes, defeating Yogendra Kumar Gandas by 1,312 votes. Akshat Jain won the treasurer’s post with 2,703 votes, defeating Reena Jha, who secured 2,257 votes.The results were announced late Friday evening after counting. Supporters of the winning candidates celebrated outside the court complex, with congratulatory gatherings and fireworks reported after the results were declared.Bhardwaj’s election comes at a time when the Gurugram district court and its bar have been raising several issues concerning infrastructure and facilities for lawyers. His tenure will therefore be closely watched by members of the association on matters concerning the legal fraternity and court infrastructure.Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read MoreGet the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.