The Supreme Court on Monday sharply criticized the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) for its handling of the reservation issue for women lawyers within the Association. During the proceedings, the court termed the conduct of the DHCBA as “disgraceful,” particularly in light of the debates surrounding the proposed reservation of posts for women.
Senior Advocate Meenakshi Lekhi, representing the DHCBA, faced pointed questions from the bench, which included Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. Lekhi reported that there were remarks being made against judges by some petitioners, which prompted the bench to caution against “indulging in theatrics or fueling the fire.”
The controversy stems from a series of petitions demanding that the DHCBA reserve up to 33% of its positions for women, aiming to ensure greater representation and equity within the bar. The Supreme Court had previously suggested in September that the DHCBA reserve four out of ten seats on its Executive Committee (EC) for women. However, this recommendation met resistance during a general body meeting (GBM) of the DHCBA, where proposed resolutions in favor of reservations were overwhelmingly rejected by its members, in a session marked by vocal opposition predominantly from male lawyers.
The court also reviewed a video recording from this contentious meeting, which depicted a scenario where the voices of female lawyers advocating for reservations were drowned out by their male counterparts. Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra, representing the petitioners, argued that the meeting “could have been conducted more effectively,” suggesting a lack of fairness in the proceedings.
Further complicating the matter, another legal representative for the petitioners highlighted that the DHCBA had proposed reserving only the largely ceremonial position of Joint Treasurer for women, a move seen as insufficient by advocates for gender parity.
