Apex Court Mandates One-Third Women’s Representation in SC Bar Association

The Supreme Court has issued a directive for the Supreme Court Bar Association, enforcing a one-third reservation for women members. This mandate extends to the upcoming 2024–2025 elections. The SCBA, comprised of practicing lawyers from the Supreme Court of India, will now see increased female representation.

Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, presiding over the bench, specified that in the forthcoming 2024–25 elections, the position of Treasurer of SCBA must be exclusively reserved for a female candidate. Furthermore, one office-bearer position in the SCBA will be rotated exclusively for women. It’s important to clarify that this reservation doesn’t restrict eligible female candidates from contesting other positions.

Additionally, the Court has directed that the junior executive committee of the SCBA must have a minimum one-third representation of women, with three out of nine members, while the senior executive committee should include two out of six members who are women.

Furthermore, the Court has set the date for the elections for the 2024–25 term on May 16, 2024. Vote counting is scheduled to commence on May 18, 2024, with the results announced on May 19, 2024. It’s crucial to note that the term of the current committee expires on May 18, 2024.