Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has directed the implementation of a minimum 1/3rd women’s reservation in the posts of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
Accordingly, a minimum of 3 out of 9 positions in the Executive Committee and 2 of 6 Senior Executive Member posts will be reserved for women, a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan directed.
It further said, “At least one post of the office-bearer shall be reserved for women candidates exclusively by turn and on rotation basis” and “in the ensuing election for 2024-2025, the post of Treasurer of the Executive Committee is reserved for women”. The Bench clarified that the “reservation is only to guarantee a minimum and women members of the SCBA, subject to their eligibility, shall be entitled to contest the election for all the posts in the Executive Committee”.
Polling date fixed
The court fixed this year’s election on May 16 and the counting on May 18, when the term of the current officebearers will expire. The Bench directed that the election shall be held on the basis of the voters’ list as was finalised in the election for the year 2023. It added that all those members who became eligible between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024 will also be included in the voters’ list.
The order came on an application filed by advocate Kumud Lata Das seeking reforms in the bar body’s electoral process and holding of elections.
The Bench noted that the eight resolutions introduced in the special meeting of the SCBA general body held on April 30 had failed to muster the requisite two-thirds majority.
