On Wednesday, the Supreme Court recommended that the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) reserve the Vice-President post for women in the upcoming elections. The court expressed concern over the absence of a woman President since 1962, urging steps to rectify gender disparity in leadership roles within the Bar.
The Case stems from a petition seeking a 33% reservation for women lawyers in various Delhi Bar bodies, including the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), DHCBA, and District Bar Associations. One of the petitions, filed by Advocate Shobha Gupta, contends that the lack of representation of women in key leadership roles impacts their rights and access to justice, weakening the overall effectiveness of the justice system.
Gupta had approached the Delhi High Court for similar relief concerning the upcoming Bar Council elections. However, on September 11, the High Court denied interim relief and scheduled the matter for a hearing on November 27. The elections are set for October 19, which led to the petition before the Supreme Court.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan heard the matter and proposed reserving the Vice-President position for women as an ad-hoc measure for the upcoming elections. Justice Surya Kant remarked, “It is disappointing that since 1962, no woman has been elected as President. We are in 2024 let’s begin with a positive note by reserving the Vice-President post for women”.
The Court clarified that this suggestion applied specifically to the upcoming elections, leaving future decisions on women’s representation to the Bar bodies themselves. Notice was issued on the petitions on September 20.