Architect Abhay Purohit and Architect Gajanand Ram | Council of Architecture Gets its New President and Vice President | COA Elections

The election process for the President and the Vice President of the Council of Architecture concluded on April 03, 2023, with Architects Abhay Vinayak Purohit and Gajanand Ram emerging as the winners, respectively. Nagpur-based Abhay succeeds his fellow Nagpur-based contemporary, Architect Habeeb Khan, who led the Council for three years and was serving as acting President since his tenure’s official end on October 24, 2023, to become the 12th President of the Council of Architecture. 

Architect Gajanand Ram succeeds Chandigarh-based Architect Sapna- the first female to hold the position of the Council’s Vice President, to become the 17th Vice President of the Council of Architecture. 

For the post of President, the rigorous election process saw Abhay Purohit (15 votes) contest against Vandana Sehgal (14 votes), Ashutosh Kumar Agarwal (12 votes) and Vijay Garg (06 votes). With Academic and Professional experience spanning over three decades, he is currently the Principal and Director at the Institute of Design Education and Architectural Studies, Nagpur- a position he has held since 2009. Along with Architect Gajanand Ram, the VNIT and IIT Kharagpur alumni will lead the Council of Architecture- the regulatory body for Architecture Education and Profession in India. Established under the Architects Act of 1972, the Council of Architecture is the custodian of the Architects Act. 

As a regulatory body, the Council has often been the subject of criticism within the community of architects. Architect Habeeb’s tenure is widely cited as one of the most proactive and engaging terms the Council has observed in recent years. With the Council’s growing visibility, the incoming President and Vice President’s tenure is expected to be subject to closer examination. 

We eagerly look forward to the new committee, helmed by Architect Abhay as the President of the Council of Architecture- who has been associated with the Council’s several initiatives and policies- the latest being as the Convener of the ‘Revision of Eligibility Criteria for B.Arch Course’. We wish Architects Abhay Purohit and Gajanand Ram All the Best and hope that the Council and the Profession thrive under their leadership.