Dhaka: Polls of Bangladesh Bar Council, the central body of all the lawyers, began at several polling centres across the country on Wednesday morning.

The voting begins at about 10:00am and will continue till 5:00pm at polling centres installed at Supreme Court Bar Association Building in the capital and Session Judges’ Courts premises in all the districts.

The Bar Council election usually takes place in three years interval.

A total of 43,302 lawyers are set to exercise their franchise in the polls.

Bar Council runs comprising with 15 members where the Attorney General holds the post of Bar Council chairman as ex-officio.

And the rest 14 members are elected by the direct votes from the lawyers or advocates. Out of the 14 elected members, one becomes elected vice-chairman.

Sixty-one candidates are taking part in voting contest for electing fourteen membership posts in this year’s election.

Earlier, on 9 July, the Supreme Court deferred the election to Bangladesh Bar Council until 26 August.

On 28 May, the apex court asked the authorities concerned to hold the election on 13 August and asked the Bar Council chairman and its councillor secretary to publish the updated voter list by 12 July.

As the voter list updating remained incomplete, Attorney General Mahbube Alam filed a time-petition to the Appellate Division seeking the adjournment of the polling day.

On 24 May, the Appellate Division fixed 28 May for passing an order on the three petitions filed against the High Court order staying the Bar Council election for three months.

The High Court on 21 May stayed for three months the election to Bangladesh Bar Council scheduled for 27 May following objections over voter the list and polling procedure.

The election to the Bar Council was scheduled for 27 May. It was earlier shifted from May 20 following allegations of anomalies in the voter list.