New Era at Telangana State Bar Council: Ram Reddy Samula Takes Helm After Eight-Year Interregnum
Three-way contest for chairman’s post; three lawyers were in the fray for vice-chairman and five seek representation on the Bar Council of India
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
HYDERABAD: 14-9-2026 In a long-awaited exercise aimed at restoring the full leadership structure of the Telangana State Bar Council, elections to the posts of chairman, vice-chairman and the Council’s representative to the Bar Council of India (BCI) are scheduled to be held on Sunday—nearly eight years after the previous leadership elections conducted in 2018.
Ram Reddy Samula was elected chairman of the Telangana Bar Council in results announced on Sunday, with Venkat Yadav Chalakani returning as vice-chairman for a second term and first-time council member Kiran Kumar G. nominated to represent the state on the Bar Council of India.
Key outcomes
- Chairman: Ram Reddy Samula (first-time council member)
- Vice-chairman: Venkat Yadav Chalakani (second term)
- Bar Council of India nominee: Kiran Kumar G. (first-time council member)
The results mark a leadership transition at the Telangana Bar Council, with two newcomers elevated to top posts alongside a returning deputy chief.
The election assumes significance as the State Bar Council has remained without a fresh mandate for its top office-bearers for an extended period.
The outcome is expected to determine the institutional leadership of the State’s legal fraternity and shape its representation before the apex statutory body governing the legal profession in India.
The contest for the chairman’s post has narrowed to three candidates: Ponnam Ashok Goud, Tangirala Hanmanth Reddy and Samula Ram Reddy.
Their candidature has set the stage for a closely watched electoral battle within the Council.
The vice-chairman’s post, meanwhile, has attracted Gokul Rama Rao, Chalakani Venkat Yadav and Zakir Hussain Javid. The elected vice-chairman will assist the chairman in administering the Council’s affairs and representing the interests of advocates across Telangana.
For the post of the State Bar Council’s representative to the Bar Council of India, Akula Anantha Sen Reddy, G Anil Kiran Kumar, D Jagadishwar Rao, G Kiran Kumar and Pasam Sujatha are in the fray.
The election follows the State Bar Council polling held across Telangana on January 30. In compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court, five seats were reserved for women, marking an important institutional measure intended to ensure greater gender representation in the elected body.
After polling concluded, the ballot boxes were shifted to the Bar Council office. The counting process commenced on February 10 and continued for an extended period owing to the voting system adopted for the election.
The results are being determined on the basis of first- and second-preference votes, a method broadly similar to the system followed in elections to Legislative Councils. Under this preferential voting arrangement, votes are transferred in accordance with the prescribed procedure until a candidate secures the required quota.
