Prayagraj: The oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected office-bearers of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) for 2026-27 on Tuesday was marked by the absence of Telangana governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Allahabad HC Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, who were scheduled to attend as chief guest and special guest, respectively.The reason for their absence could not be ascertained.However, senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member-elect Radha Kant Ojha attended the event.Meanwhile, the chief returning officer (CRO) and members of the election committee boycotted the ceremony amid tensions between sections of the Bar and the Bench, as well as differences over the functioning and authority of the association’s election-related bodies.The election committee also cited a specific administrative and financial dispute as the reason for staying away from the ceremony.CRO SFA Naqvi and the returning officers who supervised the HCBA elections said their presence would be “neither proper nor desirable in the prevailing circumstances”.The decision was communicated through a letter addressed to newly elected HCBA president CP Upadhyay, general secretary Santosh Kumar Mishra and elders’ committee chairman VK Singh.In a separate communication dated Nov 3, the CRO and the returning officers raised strong objections to a letter sent by the newly elected body on Nov 2 to the branch manager of the State Bank of India, High Court branch, Allahabad.According to the committee, the communication sought suspension of operations in the dedicated election fund account, which was being lawfully operated under the joint signatures of the chief election officer and election officers. Describing the communication as unauthorised, premature and defamatory, the committee said the newly elected body had neither taken over nor officially assumed charge of the HCBA.The letter further stated that, until a formal handover of charge in accordance with HCBA rules, no executive body was authorised to represent or act on behalf of the association.Despite the dispute, the election committee extended its “heartfelt wishes and congratulations” to all newly elected office-bearers and members of the executive committee.