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The Bar Council of India (BCI) 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)
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