BCI moves Supreme Court for more representation of women in state Bar Councils
New Delhi, May 20
The Bar Council of India has approached the Supreme Court seeking approval for a proposal to increase women's representation in State Bar Councils through the co-option of additional women candidates.
In a press release issued on May 20, BCI said it wants to fill the next 10% women's representation in State Bar Councils beyond the existing 20% elected women members. The proposal suggests selecting women candidates who secured the highest votes in elections but could not get elected within the present reservation limit.
According to the BCI, this proposal was finalised after discussions with stakeholders before the High Powered Election Supervisory Committee. The Council said the move is aimed at ensuring meaningful and adequate participation of women in the legal profession's representative bodies.
The press release stated that the BCI supports "Option A" mentioned in the Supreme Court's April 13, 2026 order in Siva Kumari v. Union of India. Under this system, co-option would be made from among women candidates who received the highest number of votes but were not elected within the 20% quota.
BCI said the method would be fair, transparent and based on the democratic choice already expressed by advocates during elections. It added that the process would reduce chances of favouritism, discrimination or arbitrary selection because the basis for co-option would be actual votes received by candidates.
The Council further stated that it has filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking necessary directions so that the issue can be resolved with clarity and finality.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm not entirely convinced. Why create a separate mechanism when we could just increase the reservation from 20% to 30% directly? This co-option thing sounds like a workaround that might create confusion. Also, what about women who don't contest elections at all? The real issue is why women aren't getting elected even when they stand. Fix the ground-level problems first.
The "highest vote getter" logic is solid - it means these women actually have grassroots support from fellow advocates. It's not like they're being appointed from outside. The legal fraternity in India is still quite patriarchal in many states. In my district, women advocates struggle to get election tickets at all. This might actually force state councils to take women seriously. 👍
Interesting approach from a comparative perspective. In the US, bar associations have been struggling with similar diversity issues, but we usually use appointment systems rather than co-option. The focus on electoral performance as the criterion seems uniquely Indian and quite fair. Let's see how this plays out in the Supreme Court - will be watching with interest.
As a young woman advocate in Tamil Nadu, I can tell you how discouraging it is to see Bar Council meetings where you're the only woman in the room. The co-option idea is good, but will the current council members actually allow these women to have real decision-making power? Or will they just be token representatives? BCI needs to also ensure meaningful participation, not just numbers.
Well done BCI! This is a pragmatic step that doesn't disturb existing electoral processes.
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