SCBA members up in arms over President Vikas Singh’s “autocratic functioning”

Members of the Executive Committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have addressed a letter to President Vikas Singh expressing their dissatisfaction at not being consulted for the lawyers’ body’s decisions.

The letter begins,

“Ever since the present EC was constituted the style of functioning of the President has left much to be desired. Even very important decisions are being taken by the President himself without taking the members of the EC in confidence barring 1 or 2, breeding a sense of inferiority and frustration amongst the eminent members, even Senior Members of the Executive Committee.”

The dissenting members go on to highlight instances wherein decisions have been taken sans consultation. These include appointment of contractors for the canteens, appointment of parking attendant, and the decision to hold the annual SCBA Cricket Tournament in Dehradun, as opposed to Delhi.

Moreover, the letter claims that a person outside the Executive Committee was appointed Editor of the recently launched SCBA Times, “without the concurrence or even the knowledge of the EC”.

The letter also calls into question Singh’s decision to call an Executive Committee meeting on January 27, on short notice. The fact that it was a holiday and some members were out of Delhi has made the members question,

“Should we take it that the President was not interested in the attendance of such members and that is why a short notice of 2-3 hours alone was given. If that be so, it leaves much to be desired and would fall in the category of autocratic functioning.”

Further,

“Ever since the present Executive Committee took over charge in December 2017, to the best of our recollection, there is not a single decision which has been taken in conformity with the well established practice of functioning of the EC of SCBA in earlier years.”

The letter has been signed by Senior Executive Members and Senior Advocates PP Khurana, Manoj Prasad, JK Das and JK Sud. Other Executive Members including Joint Secretary Rahul Kaushik, Treasurer Meenesh Kumar Dubey,  and Joint Treasurer Pijush Roy have also endorsed the aforementioned views.

It ends with an appeal to President Singh to respect members of the EC and to roll back decisions taken unilaterally by him.

Senior Advocate Singh was appointed President of the SCBA at the elections held in December last year.

Read the letter: