The Advocates’ Association of Western India (AAWI) has unanimously amended its Rules and Constitution to reserve the post of President for a woman member once every three terms, with the change taking effect from the next election.

The decision was taken at a Special General Body Meeting on August 21, following recommendations of a Constitutional Committee constituted on August 9 to examine measures for increasing women’s participation in the association’s executive leadership.

Under the amended Rule 3(a), the President’s office will be reserved for a woman member in every third term, with the reserved term following two terms in which the post remains unreserved. AAWI said that in its 162-year history, the association has never had a woman President.

The amendments also provide for the Secretary’s post to be reserved for a woman during the first of the two non-reserved presidential terms. The association has retained its existing reservation of one Vice-President post for women, introduced in 2018 along with two reserved Executive Council seats.

The new framework further expands the Executive Council from eight to nine regular members and provides for four women members. Of the five seats requiring a minimum seven years of practice, two will be reserved for women, while two of the four seats requiring four years of practice will also be reserved for women.

As a result, women advocates will occupy slightly more than one-third of the regular Executive Council positions.