Nagpur: In a major move ahead of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) elections for the 2026–2029 term, more than 150 women lawyers from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court have demanded mandatory reservation for women candidates. The elections are scheduled for November 28, and the appeal comes in the wake of Supreme Court directives mandating gender representation in bar associations across the country.
In a detailed representation submitted on Monday to the HCBA president, secretary, and election officers, the women advocates urged the Election Committee to revise the existing election programme, announced on October 1, to ensure compliance with the apex court’s orders. “The directives must be implemented within seven days to uphold the constitutional mandate of equality and representation,” the representation stated.
This is the second major reform proposal ahead of the upcoming elections. Earlier, another group of advocates had sought a general body meeting to introduce the ‘One Bar, One Vote’ principle and amend the association’s constitution accordingly.
Citing the Supreme Court’s judgment in Supreme Court Bar Association vs. B.D. Kaushik, the representation highlighted that the apex court has directed all bar associations to ensure at least one-third representation of women in their executive committees and to reserve one office-bearer post—such as treasurer—exclusively for women on a rotational basis.
The signatories, including senior advocates and a former HCBA president, also referred to rulings in Fozia Rahman vs. Bar Council of Delhi and Deeksha Amruthesh vs. State of Karnataka, where the Supreme Court mandated 30% women’s representation in bar associations in Delhi, Bengaluru, and other regions. These orders, issued under Article 142 of the Constitution, are binding on all bar associations nationwide.
“The judiciary has already set the benchmark for gender equality in bar bodies. It is crucial that the Nagpur HCBA follows suit,” the lawyers emphasized, urging the association not to fall behind in implementing these constitutional directives.
The representation further proposed reserving the posts of secretary and treasurer for women candidates and ensuring that 30% of executive committee seats—including one for senior advocates—be allocated to women.
Additionally, the group requested that the nomination schedule be extended, if needed, and that a revised election programme reflecting the new reservation policy be circulated among all members.
Key Demands by Women Lawyers to HCBA:
- Revise the election programme (dated October 1, 2025) for the 2026–2029 term to include mandatory reservation for women advocates in accordance with Supreme Court directives.
- Convene a General Body meeting to formally adopt and implement the reservation policy.
- Reserve the posts of Secretary and Treasurer exclusively for women candidates.
- Create an additional office-bearer post reserved for women advocates, apart from the Treasurer’s post.
- Ensure 30% representation of women in the Executive Committee, including one seat for senior counsels.
- Extend the nomination and election schedule, if necessary, to accommodate the new framework.
- Circulate a revised election programme incorporating the women’s reservation policy to all HCBA members.
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