A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan of the Supreme Court mandated that a minimum of one-third of positions within the executive committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) must be allocated for women.

Specifically, for this year, the Court stipulated that three executive members, two senior executive members, and the treasurer of the SCBA should be women, excluding the SCBA president from this reservation.

A similar issue was previously brought before the Delhi High Court. In a hearing on February 29 this year, SCBA President Adish Aggarwal pledged to the High Court that a general body meeting would be arranged within two months to deliberate amending the SCBA regulations to designate a minimum of two positions in the executive committee for women lawyers.

This commitment was made in response to a petition by advocate Yogamaya MG, urging the SCBA to convene a meeting to address this matter. Yogamaya had previously corresponded with Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, proposing a modification of the SCBA Rules to ensure the inclusion of at least two positions for women lawyers in the SCBA’s executive committee.

Emphasizing the significance of such an amendment for fostering inclusivity, diversity, and gender equality within the SCBA, Yogamaya underscored that insufficient representation of women lawyers might hinder the effective resolution of issues related to sexual harassment. In reply, the SCBA president informed the High Court that around two months would be necessary to call for a general body meeting to discuss the matter, considering the notification needed to reach the nearly 20,000 SCBA members.

Subsequently, the High Court concluded the petition upon acknowledging the assurance provided by the SCBA President.