Patna Bar Poll Fee Hike Sparks Row; Chhaya Mishra Seeks Rollback

Patna: A controversy has erupted ahead of the upcoming elections of the Advocates Association, Patna High Court, with senior woman lawyer and vice president of the body, Chhaya Mishra, strongly opposing the steep increase in nomination fees.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mishra criticised the decision of the election returning officer to significantly raise the nomination charges for the April 17 elections. She pointed out that the fee for the post of president has been increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000, while candidates for vice president and general secretary will now have to pay Rs 20,000.

Describing the hike as “arbitrary and exorbitant”, Mishra said the move would discourage genuine but economically weaker advocates from contesting the elections. “Such a heavy increase appears aimed at preventing sincere and financially constrained lawyers from entering the fray,” she said.

Drawing a comparison, Mishra noted that the nomination fee( security deposit) for candidates of Lok Sabha elections stands at Rs 20,000 due to large-scale administrative and security arrangements. “In contrast, the Advocates Association election involves a limited number of voters and a single polling centre. The steep fee hike is unjustified,” she added.

She urged the returning officer to withdraw the revised fee structure and restore it to the 2023 level to ensure a fair contest and a level playing field.

The Advocates Association, one of the oldest and most prominent bodies of lawyers in the state, has around 20,000 members. Its alumni include India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, and several judges of the Patna High Court and the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the election schedule was formally announced earlier this week.

Nomination papers will be available on March 30 and 31, while filing will take place on April 1 and 2. Scrutiny will follow, and candidates can withdraw nominations within the stipulated period.

Polling for all 11 posts will be held on April 17, with results expected early on Sunday. The returning officer, senior advocate Anjani Kumar, said voters must carry valid association identity cards to cast their votes.