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1h ago

Supreme Court Mandates 30% Women’s Representation in State Bar Councils Without Notified Elections

For this year, the bench fixed a 20% elected plus 10% co‑opted split, with the Bar Council of India to submit a formal co‑option plan.

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Overview

  • The order applies only to councils where elections have not been notified, leaving Andhra Pradesh, Punjab & Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Chhattisgarh outside the immediate mandate.
  • A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the directive while hearing petitions by advocates Yogamaya M.G. and Shehla Chaudhary.
  • The Court limited co‑option to 10% after the BCI proposed 15%, affirming an overall 30% target supported in principle by the BCI.
  • Where insufficient numbers of women contest the 20% elected seats, councils are to use co‑option to reach the 30% representation threshold.
  • The bench encouraged voters in councils with notified polls to back women candidates, and it drew on an earlier Supreme Court push to expand women’s roles in bar bodies.