30% Women’s Quota| Supreme Court Orders Reservation In Delhi Bar Associations On Trial Basis

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Today, On 19th December, The Supreme Court ordered a 30% reservation for women in Delhi bar associations on a trial basis. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan gave this decision after hearing petitions asking for up to 33% women’s quota in these groups. The goal is to improve gender balance in the legal field. The results of this order will be carefully observed.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court ordered the experimental implementation of reservations for women in bar associations throughout Delhi.

A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued the ruling in response to several petitions advocating for a 33% quota for women within these legal bodies.

As part of an interim arrangement, the Court designated the position of Treasurer in all bar associations in Delhi specifically for women.

Furthermore, within the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), one position for a Designated Senior Member on the Executive Committee has been set aside for women. Additionally, 30% of the posts in the Executive Committees of bar associations in the district courts of Delhi will also be reserved for female members.

Former Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, Siddharth Mridul, has been appointed as Amicus Curiae to assist the Court in this matter. Justice Mridul has been tasked with gathering data on women’s representation in bar associations across the country.

Earlier On 2nd May the Supreme Court of India directed that at least one-third of the posts in the executive committee (EC) of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) must be reserved for women. The court further specified that for this year, three executive members, two senior executive members, and the treasurer of the SCBA must be women.

The order was issued by a Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, emphasizing the importance of women’s participation in the decision-making bodies of the SCBA. However, it should be noted that the post of SCBA president is not included in the reserved positions. The directive builds upon a similar matter that had previously come before the Delhi High Court.