The Kuala Lumpur High Court has deferred judgment in a suit filed by senior lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon, who is seeking a declaration that the Bar Council's election held last November was illegal.

Manjeet, when contacted, said the judge Wan Afrah Wan Ibrahim had, last week, asked both parties for further submissions. She has not set a new date for the judgment.

At the previous hearing held early this month, the court had fixed April 26 for a decision.

Manjeet, a former Bar Council president, created an uproar among the legal fraternity when he accused Bar Council chairperson Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari ( left ) of violating the Legal Profession Act (LPA) by personally collecting the ballots during the council's last elections.

He moved a no-confidence motion against Kuthubul at the Feb 7 council meeting but his attempts failed because 23 of the 32 members present voted against the motion. Manjeet then filed the suit on Feb 24.

In his affidavit , he claimed that the Bar chief had "canvassed" against him. He also said the negative campaigning and collection of ballot papers had taken place when ballot papers were sent to lawyers to vote in office-bearers for 2004/2005 term.

'Not an issue'

Kuthubul, despite admitting that he had received the postal votes, denied that he had violated the LPA and queried Manjeet as to why he was raising the issue only now.

He said the practice of receiving ballot papers that are delivered by hand has been in place since the current structure of the elections came into effect in 1976.

Kuthubul also said Manjeet, as a former office-bearer, was well aware of the practice, and that no lawyer has made an issue of it before.

Manjeet was nominated for one of 12 exco seats for the 2004/2005 term, but failed to make the cut, but received enough votes for the 14 th slot.

He had previously served as the council secretary (1987-1989), as vice-president (1989-1990) and as president (1990-1991).