R. Rajanna elected as new KSBC Chairman

CH NEWS, BENGALURU In a significant leadership transition for the legal fraternity in South India, Senior High Court Advocate R. Rajanna has been officially elected as the new Chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC). Alongside Rajanna’s election to the state’s apex legal regulatory body, the council concluded its internal office-bearer elections by choosing Shivamurthy as Vice-Chairman and C.M. Dhananjaya as the state’s representative to the Bar Council of India (BCI). The high-stakes internal elections determined the executive leadership following a rigorous democratic process among the council members. In the contest for the chairmanship, R. Rajanna secured a decisive victory by garnering 15 votes, successfully defeating his nearest challenger, N. Devaraj, by a comfortable margin of six votes. For the position of Vice-Chairman, Shivamurthy emerged as the frontrunner, commanding the highest individual support with 17 votes. He defeated his nearest rival, Shailaja, by a similar six-vote margin. Meanwhile, C.M. Dhananjaya secured election as a member of the Bar Council of India (BCI) after obtaining 15 votes, positioning him to represent Karnataka's legal practitioners at the national regulatory level. The Electoral College comprised 26 participating members, reflecting a diverse representation of the state's legal establishment. The voter base included 23 members directly elected by advocates across Karnataka, two female co-opted members specifically appointed by the High Court, and the ex-officio member, State Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty. The formation of the new council follows a strict judicial mandate. The election to select the 23 general council members was conducted earlier on March 11, strictly adhering to a directive issued by the Supreme Court of India ordering the completion of the KSBC elections by March 15, 2026. A notable feature of this election cycle was the implementation of progressive representation mandates, which reserved seven seats specifically for women lawyers, ensuring a targeted 30% female representation quota within the governing body. The election witnessed enthusiastic participation from the legal community, drawing a competitive field of 149 advocate candidates from various districts across Karnataka who vied for seats on the prestigious council.