In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India today mandated reservations for women in the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), aiming to enhance gender representation within the legal community. The Court has directed that a General Body Meeting (GBM) of the DHCBA be convened no later than ten days from now to address this directive.
The Bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan, specified that the GBM should contemplate the reservation of the Treasurer’s post exclusively for women members. Moreover, the possibility of reserving an additional post among the office bearers for women is also to be considered.
Expanding its directive, the Supreme Court also decreed that out of the ten members of the Executive Committee, at least three must be women, with at least one of them being a senior designated advocate. This decision comes in response to petitions advocating for a 33% reservation for women lawyers across various legal bodies in Delhi, including the Bar Council of Delhi and all District Bar Associations.
Senior Advocates Meenakshi Arora and Mohit Mathur represented the petitioner and the DHCBA respectively. The dialogue in court evolved from initially suggesting a reservation for the Vice President’s post, which is largely ceremonial, to the more influential Treasurer’s position.
This judicial intervention follows the refusal of the Delhi High Court to grant interim relief on a similar plea, with the upcoming Bar elections set for October 19th.
