The Supreme Court Today (Sept 26) urged the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to reserve 4 out of 10 posts in the Executive Committee (EC) of the bar body for women. The Court was hearing two petitions, one seeking directions to district bar associations in Delhi to implement 33 per cent reservation for women and another seeking women’s quota in the Delhi High Court Bar Association.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday urged the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to reserve 4 out of 10 posts in its Executive Committee (EC) for women. Among these posts, the Court emphasized that the position of treasurer should specifically be reserved for a female member.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan directed that a General Body Meeting of the DHCBA be convened within 10 days to discuss the implementation of these reservations.
“Let the General Body Meeting of DHCBA be held within 10 days from today. General Body shall consider desirability of reserving at least the post of treasurer for women,”
-the Court said.
Apart from the treasurer role, the Court urged the bar body to reserve three additional posts for women on its EC, ensuring increased female representation in leadership positions.
Senior Counsel Mohit Mathur, representing the DHCBA, objected to the Court’s directive, stating,
“Please do not disarm me. Campaigning (for bar elections) has started.”
However, the bench dismissed his objections, responding,
“Our best wishes for your next tenure as well Mr Mathur. Women members will be most capable of handling the treasurer post.”
The Court was addressing two petitions. One sought the implementation of 33% reservation for women across all Bar elections in district bar associations of the national capital, and the other petition focused on ensuring women’s representation within the DHCBA.
Senior Advocate ANS Nandkarni, representing Delhi bar associations, pointed out-
“We already have 1 post reserved for women.”
However, Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, speaking for the petitioners, argued that the elections, scheduled for October 19, would render the petitions ineffective if the reservations were not implemented beforehand.
After considering the arguments, the Supreme Court directed the DHCBA to consider reserving four posts in the EC for women. While similar directions were requested for other district court bar associations in Delhi, the Court decided to begin with the DHCBA, expecting other bar associations to follow its lead.
“We need some brand ambassadors to show the way. Maybe once DHCBA does it, they (district bar associations) will do it and eagerly follow what is done by the High Court Bar. We have no reason to doubt that district bars will not follow,”
-the Bench remarked.
The decision, aimed at fostering gender equality within bar associations, marks a progressive step towards increasing female participation in leadership roles within legal bodies across the national capital.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Women’s Reservation
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