Delhi Confidential: Friends First

Poll Position

As the Supreme Court-mandated September 30 deadline for conducting the J&K Assembly polls approaches, all eyes are on the Election Commission and its routine pre-poll tasks.

The EC last week extended the time for publication of electoral rolls by seven days for other poll-bound states (Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand), but for J&K the date remains August 20.

The poll panel is believed to be planning its visit to the UT sometime in August taking into account the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, which is a priority for the J&K administration and the security agencies. The 52-day-long yatra will conclude on August 19. Usually, polls are announced soon after the EC’s visit to a state or UT.

Full-Time Job

SUPREME COURT Bar Association president and senior advocate Kapil Sibal was part of a Lok Adalat bench on Monday in Courtroom 1 of the Supreme Court. His engagement ensured a relatively light day in court for his longtime assistant who is fondly called ‘Nirmalji’ by everyone in the legal fraternity.

Seeing Nirmalji in the court corridors, some advocates playfully teased him saying he should look for a new job since Sibal has now become a judge. “I have been with him for 50 years and I’ll find a new job only in my next life now,” Nirmalji said jovially.