The Supreme Court clarified its ruling on women’s eligibility in Delhi’s district bar associations, emphasizing experience for key positions and adjusting reservation policies based on feedback for upcoming elections.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday clarified its previous order on the eligibility of women candidates in Delhi’s district bar associations, emphasizing the need for a balance between experience and youth.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh modified its January 7 order and ruled that the treasurer’s post—reserved for women—must be filled as per the respective bar association’s by-laws. This decision came after it was noted that women candidates applying for the treasurer’s post at the Karkardooma district court bar association have only three to four years of experience.
“It takes two to three years for a fresh law graduate to understand the profession. These candidates should practise law, not do politics at this stage,”
the bench observed, stressing that those with less than five years of experience may not be suitable for key leadership roles.
The court also revised its earlier directive on 30% reservation for women in executive committees. Now, 15% of the seats will be reserved for women with at least 10 years of legal experience, while another 15% will be for those with less than 10 years of experience. The court also extended the deadline for nominations for the upcoming district bar association elections.
On January 7, the court had ruled that 30% of executive committee posts in each district bar association be reserved for women with at least 10 years of legal experience.
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However, after reviewing concerns, it clarified that these reservations are on an experimental basis and may be adjusted based on feedback from the bar associations.
This ruling follows an earlier December 19 directive that the treasurer’s post in the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) be exclusively reserved for women.
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