KARACHI, Jan 14: Lawyers across the province will elect their representatives to the 42-member Sindh Bar Council for the 2004-2009 term on Saturday.

The elections were first scheduled for Nov 27 but were thrice postponed due to writ petitions moved by lawyers to challenge the amendments made to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act earlier that month.

The amendments reduced the council seats from 42 to 32 and enhanced the duration of the qualifying legal practice for the candidates. They were disallowed retrospective effect by a division bench and the advocate-general, in his capacity as ex officio chairman of the council, was asked to conduct the polls under the old provisions.

About 10,000 lawyers enrolled as SBC members are eligible to cast their votes in the province. Voters in each (defunct) revenue division will elect the members allocated to it, though the members will represent their respective districts.

Six thousand lawyers will thus elect 21 members from the (defunct) Karachi division. But the seats have been allocated district-wise, with South allotted nine, East six, Central four and West and Malir one each. Eighty-four candidates are in the field from the five districts of Karachi.

Nineteen candidates are contesting the seven seats from the district of Hyderabad. Three members have already been elected unopposed from Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas and Mithi.