Delhi HC seeks Bar Council's response to plea for 33% reservation for women in lawyer bodies' polls

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Bar Council of Delhi and various bar bodies on a plea seeking to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women lawyers in bar associations here.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notices to the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), Bar Council of India (BCI) and Delhi High Court Bar Association on the petition filed by a woman lawyer.

The court also issued notices to the New Delhi Bar Association, Delhi Bar Association, Saket Bar Association, Dwarka Court Bar Association, Shahdara Bar Association and Rohini Bar Association, through their respective secretaries, and asked them to file replies to the plea.

The high court listed the matter for further hearing on August 12.

The Bar Council of Delhi was represented by advocate T Singhdev.

Petitioner Shobha Gupta said in recent years, women have been making great strides in the legal profession, however, despite the high numbers of women entering the legal profession, this is not reflected in the number of leadership positions and high-profile roles taken on by women attorneys or becoming the president of BCD or any bar associations.

"The legal practice and the key posts in the Bar Council and bar associations are largely dominated by male lawyers. Women comprise almost one-third of the total number of registered lawyers at Delhi. This under-representation of women in effective posts in BCD and other bar associations can negatively affect women's rights and access to justice as well as detract from the justice system's overall effectiveness," it said.

The petitioner, represented by senior advocate Pinky Anand, said in May, the Supreme Court passed an order reserving one-third seats for women lawyers in the Supreme Court Bar Association election to ensure that women lawyers' representation.

The plea contended that the under-representation of women in effective posts in BCD and other bar associations can negatively affect women's rights and access to justice as well as detract from the justice system's overall effectiveness.

The lawyer said issues of women advocates in the bar can be well understood and emphasised by women representatives and the only post designated for women lawyers is lady member executive.