The Supreme Court of India on Monday stayed the counting process for the Bar Council of Delhi elections amid serious allegations of ballot paper tampering and poll irregularities.

A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the vote counting process remain halted until the Delhi High Court decides the matter.

The Supreme Court also transferred all petitions concerning the alleged irregularities to a special Bench of the Delhi High Court and instructed it to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis.

The issue was mentioned before the Court by advocate Shobha Gupta, who alleged that even tampered ballot papers were being included in the counting process.

Controversy Surrounding BCD Elections

The Bar Council of Delhi elections were conducted in February 2026 under the supervision of retired Delhi High Court judge Justice Talwant Singh, who served as the Returning Officer.

The elections witnessed major controversy after:

• 67 candidates, including two Senior Advocates, were placed under summary suspension for alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct and Election Rules.

• 79 lawyers received suspension notices.

• 63 suspensions were later revoked after explanations were submitted.

In another major development, the Bar Council of India placed an advocate under interim suspension for allegedly misbehaving with Justice Talwant Singh during poll inspections.

Last month, the Bar Council of Delhi also suspended former Delhi High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla along with nine other advocates for allegedly manhandling and abusing election officials.

The Supreme Court has now directed its Registry to forward a confidential letter written by Justice Talwant Singh to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court for appropriate action.