The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the General Body of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to hold a meeting within 10 days to reserve posts for women. The apex court directed that out of 10 Executive Committee members, there shall be at least 3 women members.
The top court directed that the General Body should consider the desirability of reserving the post of Treasurer and any one more post for women members. The court further said that out of 3 women members of the Executive Committee, at least 1 should be a senior advocate.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the direction on pleas seeking reservation for women lawyers in DHCBA.
Earlier, the top court had suggested the DHCBA to consider reserving the post of Vice-President for women lawyers in the upcoming elections. However, the court was informed that the post of Vice-President is just ceremonial in nature. Today, the court suggested reserving the Treasurer's post.
The bench had expressed disappointment over the fact that since 1962, there had not been even a single woman President of the Bar.
The Supreme Court was hearing two petitions, out of which one sought directions to all district bar associations in Delhi to implement 33 per cent reservation for women, and another prayed for women quota in Delhi High Court Bar Association posts.
The Delhi Bar elections are scheduled to be held on October 19. The petitioners moved the top court after there was no interim relief from the high court. As the pleas would have become infructuous after the elections, the petitioners filed these pleas before the Supreme Court.
Earlier in May, the Supreme Court directed for the implementation of minimum 1/3rd women's reservation in the posts of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). The court said that this should be implemented in the upcoming elections (2024-2025).
The bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan directed that in the upcoming elections for 2024-25, the post of Treasurer of SCBA shall be reserved for a woman. The court further said that one post of the office bearers of SCBA shall be exclusively reserved for women on a rotation basis. However, this reservation does not mean that eligible women candidates cannot contest for other posts.
The bench further ruled that there shall be a minimum of 1/3rd of women's reservation in the junior executive committee as well as in the senior executive committee of the SCBA.