In a couple of petitions filed before the Supreme Court seeking reservation for women in State Bar Councils, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi directed that, in Bar Councils where elections have yet to be notified, 30% of the seats must be represented by women advocates.

Earlier, the Court had asked the Bar Council of India to ensure 30% representation of women advocates in the State Bar Councils and to present a proposal in this regard.

The Court found that elections of four Bar Councils, i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana, had already been notified, and said that it may not be prudent to earmark seats for women advocates in said Bar Councils. However, the Court was confident that the voting advocates would make every effort to ensure adequate representation for women members of the Bar. It was noted that elections in Bihar and Chhattisgarh had already taken place and were thus also to be excluded.

For the remaining Bar Councils in the present year, the Court directed that 30% of the seats be represented by women members of the Bar Association, of which 20% may be filled by election and 10% by co-option. Further, the Court also directed that a proposal regarding the co-option of the women members be presented before the Court for scrutiny.