Drones to capture campaigns, AI messages: Here’s how Delhi’s lawyers are gearing up for bar association elections this week

Standing outside Cafe Coffee Day at Rouse Avenue Court, a lawyer says, “Yahan canteen hi nahi hai bhai. Bas aap wo banwado. Chai aur puri aaloo ka bandobast to ho jaaye kam se kam (my only request is setting up a canteen… at least I can have tea and puri aaloo).”

This is the first time since its inception in April 2019 that elections are being held in Rouse Avenue Court. Elections had been postponed there due to a dispute between warring bar associations over being recognised as the official bar body. The dispute had reached the Delhi High Court last April when the Bar Council of Delhi had declined the request of all but one bar association to be the official association. After the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the Central Delhi Court Bar Association, the other associations approached the Supreme Court.

For advocate Raghav Kumar Tiwari, who is running for the post of secretary at Rouse, the lack of chambers for lawyers is a key issue. “We want chambers, a library and a canteen… elections have already been delayed for five years,” he said.

“From 2015-2023, 90% of advocates who have enrolled in Delhi’s lower courts are young lawyers… there is not even a library for them, let alone a chamber. Judge sahab ke liye alishaan chambers hain lekin wakeelo ke liye kursi bhi nahi hai (there are fancy chambers for judges, but there is not even a chair to sit for advocates),” Tiwari said, adding that chambers for the court complex had been under construction for 1.5 years and might take a few more to get completed.

Providing chambers to younger advocates is a promise by many candidates. Close to 1.75 lakh advocates have enrolled in Delhi and 1 lakh of these are those who have recently joined.

“I will give 33% reservations in chamber allotments to all those advocates who have been enrolled in the last 10 years… I will also ensure regular training for them,” advocate Vijay Bishnoi, who is also running for the post of Secretary at Rouse Avenue Court, told The Indian Express.

Among other promises was setting up e-libraries with free access to legal research.

At Tis Hazari, the oldest lower Court in Delhi inaugurated in 1958, the methods that lawyers have used for campaigning are anything but archaic. Among these were drones flying around court premises to capture the election campaign of advocates. Long queues of advocates with banners were captured and these videos were circulated widely on WhatsApp groups.

Advocate Deepak Sharma, who is standing for the post of Secretary at Tis Hazari, is among those using a drone to capture parts of his election campaign to garner support. “There are major differences between the bar and the bench,” he said. “My aim is to hold activities at regular intervals to build trust between the two.”

“Another major problem is unauthorised parking outside the court complex… This causes long traffic jams. It takes close to 30 minutes just to cross a few 100 metres. Lawyers are exhausted even before their arguments begin,” he said.

Other lawyers resorted to using AI to circulate messages to garner support. “Mr Dheeraj Raghav is the best candidate… so vote and support and elect him… thank you,” says a female advocate in an AI-generated message, urging lawyers to support Raghav who is fighting for the post of Member Executive in the Delhi Bar Association.

Advocate Shilpesh Chaudhary, Vice-President of the Rohini Court Bar Association, also spoke of the lack of chambers. “There are 13,000 practicing lawyers in Rohini Court and there are only 400 chambers. Since each chamber is shared by two lawyers, what about the 12,200 lawyers? Where will they go?”