A plea was submitted to the Delhi High Court requesting a 33% reservation for women advocates in bar elections. In response, the court has sought input from all major bar associations in Delhi, including the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), and each District Bar Association in the capital.
The Demands of the Petitioners
Advocate Shobha Gupta filed the case, arguing that women’s rights and access to justice are negatively impacted by the underrepresentation of women in key positions within the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) and other bar associations, thus weakening the efficacy of the legal system. Representing Gupta, Senior Advocate Pinky Anand highlighted the recent Supreme Court requirement requiring one-third of the seats in the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections to go to women lawyers. She underlined that women representatives are better suited to handle the problems experienced by female lawyers. . Anand further noted that the only position specifically designated for women lawyers is the lady member executive, which limits their involvement in significant decision-making processes.
Court’s Orders
The division bench which comprised of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notices to all respondents’ Bar Associations regarding a plea to reserve 33% of seats for women lawyers in the upcoming Bar Council of Delhi elections, as well as in the Delhi High Court Bar Association and all District Bar Associations in Delhi/New Delhi. The bench has scheduled a detailed hearing on the matter for August 12.
