Daly College Society Election: Indore High Court Junks Pleas Against The Bylaws Amendments And Poll

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday dismissed four connected writ petitions challenging amendments to the bylaws and the ongoing election process of the Daly College Society.

Justice Sandeep N Bhatt passed the order in petitions filed by Jai Singh Jhabua, Vikram Khandelwal and Sandeep Parekh against the State government and the Daly College Society. 

The petitioners had sought cancellation of the amendments allegedly carried out in the society’s memorandum and bylaws on March 5, 2026, and challenged the election schedule issued on April 21, 2026.

They demanded that elections to the Board of Governors be conducted under the pre-existing bylaws and alleged that the amendments were made despite earlier statutory orders restraining constitutional changes. 

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani argued that the amendments were intended to exclude members of the Old Dalians Association from representation in the Board of Governors. He also claimed that the outgoing board had illegally extended its tenure beyond December 2025. 

Counsel for the society opposed the petitions, arguing that the society is a private unaided body and that an alternative remedy under Section 40 of the MP Societies Registration Act was available. The respondents also informed the court that the election process had already begun and polling was scheduled for May 21, 2026. 

The court held that once the election process has commenced, interference under Article 226 should be limited, and dismissed all petitions while granting liberty to pursue statutory remedies. 

Published on: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 07:48 AM IST