The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed a clear expectation that the Bar Council of India (BCI) must ensure at least 30% reservation for women in the forthcoming elections to State Bar Councils. The observation came during the hearing of petitions seeking mandatory women’s representation in these elected professional bodies.

Senior Advocate Gurukumar, representing the BCI, submitted that such structural reform would require an amendment to the Advocates Act and that election processes in several States were already underway, posing practical hurdles for immediate implementation.

However, the Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi emphasized that the BCI should interpret its existing rules in a manner that guarantees women at least one-third representation in State Bar Councils, including within the cadre of office bearers.

“We expect that the BCI will construe its regulations to provide 30% reservation in State Bar Councils, and ensure similar representation in key posts,” the CJI remarked.

When the BCI expressed reservations about whether enough women lawyers would be available to contest, the CJI pointed to data shared during a Supreme Court Bar Association workshop the previous day—indicating that 83% of women practitioners wished to become SCBA members—signalling strong professional aspirations among women in the Bar.

Gurukumar also referred to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s philosophy that institutional transformation takes time. The CJI responded that the Court would keep the matter under constant review through a “continuing mandamus,” ensuring that reforms are meaningfully executed.

Directing the BCI to issue a notification by Monday, the Court made it clear that it expects tangible progress toward women’s reservation.

The matter arises from petitions filed by advocates Yogamaya MG and Shehla Chaudhary seeking one-third reservation for women in State Bar Councils across India, with rotational inclusion of women in at least one office-bearer post.

The plea relies on the Supreme Court’s earlier order dated May 2, 2024, mandating one-third reservation for women in the Executive Committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association, including a minimum of one office-bearer position.

Case No.: W.P.(C) 1060/2025
Title: Shehla Chaudhary v. Union of India