Kandwal to meet Dhami to discuss UCC provisions affecting advocates’ livelihood
Thursday, 27 February 2025 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The newly elected president of the Dehradun Bar Association Manmohan Kandwal said that he will soon meet chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to discuss certain provisions of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that are expected to severely impact the livelihood of advocates.
While talking to The Pioneer, Kandwal expressed concern over online marriage registration, online registration of wills and the paperless land registry system and claimed that these digital processes will lead to job losses for hundreds of legal professionals across the State. He said that he will meet the CM to discuss these issues and seek necessary interventions to protect the interests of advocates and those associated with legal documentation work.
Kandwal was elected as the president of the Dehradun Bar Association, securing the position for the 10th time. In a closely contested election, Kandwal defeated outgoing president Rajiv Sharma Bantu by a margin of 131 votes. The election, held on Monday, witnessed a turnout of 2,765 votes out of a total of 3,385 registered advocates. The results were announced on Tuesday, confirming Kandwal’s victory with 1,152 votes, while his opponent, Bantu, secured 1,021 votes. In the elections, Rajbir Bisht managed to retain his position as secretary of the association for the third consecutive time. This year, elections were held for 12 executive positions but Lalit Bhandari was elected unopposed as treasurer. As a result, voting took place for the remaining 11 posts on Monday.
Talking about his priorities as the newly elected president, Kandwal said that apart from his stance against certain UCC provisions, he will also work towards professional growth and development of young and new advocates. He said there are several other issues of advocates that he will address and work to resolve them with proper planning.
