Madras high court on Wednesday ordered that senior lawyer R K Chandramohan, suspended as chairman of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry bar council for alleged involvement in an attempt to influence a judge taking the name of then union minister A Raja, should not be permitted to assume office till disposal of disciplinary proceedings even if he was re-elected to the council.

Disposing off an application seeking to disqualify Chandramohan as a candidate, justice V Ramasubramanian said he should not be permitted to assume office as a member till the disposal of the disciplinary proceedings by the bar council of India or till he obtained appropriate directions from the supreme court, whichever was earlier.

The polling for the election of members of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Bar Council was held last week and the counting is to begin tomorrow.

In his application, 'Elephant' G Rajendran sought to disqualify Chandramohan as a candidate in the elections on the basis of the December 7 order of the high court suspending him as chairman of the state bar council for allegedly trying to influence Judge S Regupathy by taking the name of Raja for a favourable order in an anticipatory bail petition.

On an appeal by Chandramohan, the Supreme Court had stayed the high court order suspending him. He later filed his nomination for the election of members of bar council.

The judge, however, dismissed another application of Rajendran seeking to restraint all lawyers facing criminal cases from contesting the bar council elections.

Rajendran submitted that Bar Council of India vice chairman Dhanapal Raj was seeking re-election despite facing graft charges.