Muraleedharan G Vallakkadavu elected Bar Council of Kerala chairman, Girija K Gopal is vice-chairperson

Advocates Muraleedharan G Vallakkadavu and Girija K Gopal have been elected chairperson and Vice-Chairperson respectively of the bar Council of Kerala (BCK).

Vallakkadavu was among the 23 advocates elected to the Council in the elections held on April 17 this year.

The Bar Council of Kerala is a statutory body constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961, which regulates the enrolment and professional conduct of advocates in the state.

The polls were held for 23 of the 25 seats in the Council across 84 polling centres, with a mandatory 30 percent quota for women, following interim directions issued by the Supreme Court of India.

The election was supervised by a high-powered election committee pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court in M Vardhan v Union of India & Anr, to ensure fairness in the process.

Retired Justice VG Arun of the Kerala High Court served as the returning officer to oversee the election process.

After counting of votes concluded on May 13, Justice Arun submitted the names of the 23 elected members to the committee.

The other elected members include advocates Santhosh Kumar P, Nagaraj Narayanan, Manoj Kumar N, Pramod SK, Mohammed Shafi M, Mujeeb Rehuman A, Yeshwanth L, Nasseer KK, Sree Prakash P, Jayachandran KP, Jayadeep M, Jaya PM, Manoj S, Anil Kumar N, Anil S Raj, Jos Mechery, Sudarsanakumar S, Sajeev Babu P, Sheela Devi I, Geena Kumary T, Geetha Kumary VP and Preethi Parambath.

Gopal became a member of the Council through co-option.

Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen nominated Gopal as woman member of the Kerala Bar Council.

The nomination followed Supreme Court’s directions concerning representation of women in State Bar Councils.

Advocate Jos Mechery has been elected as the Treasurer, while advocate Santhosh Kumar P has been elected as the Council's representative to the Bar Council of India.

Elections to the statutory committee are still underway.