Cuttack: The Odisha State Bar Council (OSBC) has decided to adopt the "one bar, one vote" for all lawyers enrolled in various bar associations across the state during the next elections to form its executive body.

The "one bar, one vote" rule is part of a guideline set by the Supreme Court in 2015 to identify the number of genuine advocates practising in various courts of the country. The rule, although allows multitude of memberships of various bars, it gives only one voting right to an advocate.

The state bar council is the apex statutory body for the bar associations in Odisha.

OSBC chairman Chinmay Mohanty said the "rule" as pronounced by the Supreme Court would be implemented in all the 167 bars of the state, including that of the high court bar.

Mohanty said the elections to all the bars of the state would be held on one particular day of the year from next year, preferably on the third Saturday of every March. He said: "All the bar associations of the state will be provided with their respective voter list, indicating the individual advocate's choice of bar to take part in the annual elections to form its executive body."

According to the bar council, the present executive councils of all bars in the state shall officiate only up to October 2018. There will be no elections in any bar associations of the state from October this year till the next elections are held under the "one bar, one vote" rule in March 2019.

Mohanty further said the state bar council had also decided to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice of Odisha, urging him to expedite the process of appointment of judges and magistrates in various courts and tribunals in view of the mounting cases now pending in the subordinate courts of the state.