Bar Council of Delhi Bans Posters, Hoardings Ahead of High Court Elections

New Delhi: Ahead of the Bar Council of Delhi elections scheduled to be held on February 20, 21 and 22, 2026 at the Delhi High Court premises, the Bar Council of Delhi has written to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, stating that election-related posters, hoardings and canvas boards will not be permitted in public places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

In its letter, the Bar Council of Delhi underlined that strict directions have been issued as part of an enhanced Model Code of Conduct to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

The Council stated that "no affixation/placement of hoardings, canvassing boards/pasting of propaganda-related material/content is allowed at public places such as walls, metro pillars/bus stands, electricity poles, including paid/private sites within Delhi/NCR, including the court premises." It further said that "all banners, hoardings, and posters, including those on any paid/private property in Delhi/NCR, must be removed."

The letter, issued by the Special Committee of the Bar Council of Delhi constituted under Section 8-A of the Advocates Act, 1961, bears reference number BCD/ELECT-2026/018 and is dated December 30, 2025. It has been signed by Chairman Chetan Sharma along with other committee members, including Maninder Singh, Neeraj, Ved Prakash Sharma and Col Arun Saroha (Retd).

Referring to the scale of the exercise, the Council informed the Chief Minister that the voters' list comprises nearly 90,000 advocates. In view of the large turnout expected, the Bar Council has sought extensive logistical and civic support from the Delhi government to facilitate smooth polling.

The letter noted that "in order to provide proper facilities to them, it is necessary that at least 20 number of mobile toilets are placed at different points and water facilities may be adequately provided."

The Council has also highlighted the need for medical preparedness during the polling days, stating that "it is necessary to have an Ambulance Facility and a Fire Tender available in case of any unforeseen event and one or more Doctors are deployed, supported by nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, and paramedics to provide medical assistance, if required."

Pointing out that voters will be commuting from various court complexes across the city, including Karkardooma Courts, Tis Hazari Courts, Saket Courts, Patiala House Courts, Rouse Avenue Courts and ITO, the Bar Council said it would be "most plausible, if buses (DTC) ply between these Courts and Delhi High Court to and fro in each slot, so that the voters shall have no difficulty in casting their votes."

The Council has requested the Chief Minister to kindly issue necessary directions to the concerned authorities to provide these facilities so that the Bar Council of Delhi elections can be conducted "in a smooth, transparent and fair manner."

Meanwhile on December 8, the Delhi High Court directed that a writ petition seeking multiple polling centres for the upcoming Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) elections be treated as a representation before the Special Committee constituted under Section 8A of the Advocates Act, 1961.

The Court instructed the Committee to consider and decide the representation expeditiously, preferably within three weeks.

The petition, filed by advocate Surendar Kumar, sought directions to ensure that polling for the BCD elections scheduled for 13 and 14 February 2026 is conducted not only at the Delhi High Court but also across major District Courts in Dwarka, Tis Hazari, Saket and Karkardooma.

The petitioner argued that with more than 1,05,000 eligible voters, a single polling venue results in overcrowding, long queues, security concerns and difficulty for advocates with matters listed in various courts.