The Supreme Court of India has ordered the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to reserve posts for women in its upcoming elections. The court suggested that out of 10 Executive Committee members, at least three women should be elected and the reservation for the posts of Treasurer and Senior Advocate should be mandated. The decision aims to enhance gender equity within the bar association, as no woman has been elected president since 1962.
The apex court directed the DHCBA to convene a meeting within 10 days to execute the respective directive. Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the DHCBA to consider reserving the Treasurer's post for women lawyers, despite previous suggestions on reserving the Vice-President post for upcoming elections. The supreme bench heard two petitions, one requesting 33 per cent reservation for women in district bar associations in Delhi and another for women quotas in Delhi High Court Bar Association posts. The petitioners filed these before the court due to infructuous pleas after the upcoming elections.
The Supreme Court has already ordered the implementation of a minimum 1/3rd women's reservation in Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) posts for the 2024-2025 elections. Furthermore, it directed the DHCBA to reserve posts for women for the upcoming elections on 19 October 2024. The post of Treasurer and office bearers on a rotation basis has been reserved for women by the Supreme Court for SCBA elections. The court noted that eligible women candidates can contest for other posts as well, with a minimum of 1/3rd reservation in both junior and senior executive committees.
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