The term of Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra will come to an end on 16 April 2014, with re-elections to be held the next day.

Mishra, who is the Bihar state council’s representative on the BCI, told Legally India today that he would be able to re-contest for the chairmanship and will in any case continue as a BCI member until 2016.

He said that “nothing will happen” before 16 April in respect of electing a successor.

The term of twice-elected vice-chairman Zafar Ahmed Khan from Madhya Pradesh will also come to an end on the same day.

Legally India understands that two other BCI members have already garnered significant informal support to take over as the next chairman and vice-chairman.

Mishra was unanimously elected as chairman in April 2012, having succeeded senior counsel Ashok Parija who took over from solicitor general and ex-officio BCI member Gopal Subramanium in July 2011.

The BCI chairmanship and vice-chairmanship have terms of two years.

Mishra’s term

Last week Mishra met with prime ministerial-candidate Narendra Modi, calling him “Mahatma Gandhi reborn”, and said last month that law firms would soon be allowed to have proper websites.

Mishra has presided over the last three All India Bar Exams (AIBE) in his tenure, entering into a contract with Noida-based external agency ITeS Horizon.

Throughout his tenure Mishra has remained staunchly opposed to the entry of foreign firms, and successfully battled the ministry of human resources over taking control of legal education from the BCI.

[Read previous articles on Mishra’s term here / Read all previous articles on the BCI here]