The Supreme Court has ordered 30% reservation for women lawyers in Gujarat Bar Associations, including the treasurer post. The move ensures stronger female representation in legal leadership roles.
In a historic move to promote gender equality in the legal profession, the Supreme Court of India on Friday directed that 30% of the seats in the executive committees of Gujarat High Court and District Bar Associations must be reserved for women lawyers.
Along with this, the post of treasurer in these bar associations will also be reserved for women. This decision came in response to a petition filed by Meena A. Jagtap, a practicing lawyer at the Gujarat High Court.
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A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh delivered the order while hearing Jagtap’s plea.
She had asked the Court to ensure 33% reservation for women lawyers in the elections of all Bar Associations in Gujarat, as well as in the Bar Council of Gujarat.
However, the Court clarified that the matter of giving such reservation in the Bar Council of Gujarat will be examined later.
The Court said it would look into the issue not just for Gujarat, but also for all other State Bar Councils and the Bar Council of India.
The petitioner relied on the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment in Supreme Court Bar Association v. BD Kaushik, where similar steps were taken to ensure women’s representation in legal bodies.
Jagtap argued that the absence of reservation for women in bar associations goes against the equality rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Indian Constitution.
She also pointed out that it violates India’s international promise to support gender equality under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In her petition, Jagtap stated,
“While women are increasing day by day and are being registered as lawyers in state of Gujarat, their representation in leadership positions remains negligible. This disparity affects young women lawyers particularly, as issues specific to women practitioners can only be fully understood and addressed by women representatives in decision-making positions.”
She further added that
“in ancient Indian culture, women were regarded as equals to men and held in high esteem, enjoying honor and respect within society. Rather than facing gender-based discrimination, women were celebrated and revered.”
The petition continued to say that
“This deep respect for women is embedded in Indian tradition and is reflected in religious and cultural texts, where women are venerated as ‘Devi,’ the embodiment of divinity and power, the petition noted.”
This is not the first time the Supreme Court has taken such a progressive step.
Previously, the Court passed similar orders to reserve seats for women in other legal bodies like the Supreme Court Bar Association, various bar associations in Delhi, Karnataka, and the Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru.
On Friday, the Court said there is no reason to treat Gujarat differently and made it clear that the same rule should apply across the board.
The Court observed,
“there was no justification to adopt a different position with regard to Gujarat.”
Representing the petitioner in court were Advocates Anil Kumar Mishra, Ankit Dhawan, Aditya Jain, and Supantha Sinha.
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This judgment is being seen as a strong push towards making the legal field more inclusive and representative for women.
It marks a significant step towards balancing gender representation and recognizing the important role women play in the legal profession.
Case Title:
Meena A. Jagtap v. Bar Council of India
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