"Pathetic": Supreme Court on conduct of Delhi bar over reservation for women lawyers

The Supreme Court on Monday took a dim view of the conduct of bar associations in the national capital on the issue of reservation for women lawyers in its bar bodies. [Aditi Chaudhary v. Bar Council of Delhi and ors].

When Senior Advocate Meenakshi Lekhi today told the Court that the petitioners seeking the women quota were making comments against judges, the Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said,

"Don't do all this playing to gallery and adding fuel to fire. It is pathetic the way the Bar is conducting itself."

The Court was hearing petitions seeking reservation of posts for women in the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), with some petitions seeking up to a 33 per cent quota for women in bar bodies across Delhi.

In September this year, the Court had urged the DHCBA to reserve 4 out of 10 posts in the Executive Committee (EC) of the bar body for women.

However, at a recent DHCBA general body meeting (GBM), the adoption of resolutions favouring the reservation of posts for women in its EC were rejected.

In the previous hearing, the Bench said it will view the video recording of that meeting.

Today, the Bench viewed the video of the meeting, in which the largely male turnout aggressively voiced their opposition to reservation for women, drowning out the voices of protesting women lawyers.

Appearing for the petitioners, Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra said that the meeting could have been conducted better.

Senior Advocate and president Mohit Mathur appeared for the DHCBA.

Another counsel for the petitioners informed the Court,

"They have now suggested that Joint Treasurer post will be reserved (for women), which is only ceremonial."

The Court said that it would hear the matter next on November 29.

"One week cooling off period, else arguments on next date," Justice Kant said, even as some lawyers created a ruckus.

Elections for the Bar Council of Delhi and all bar associations in the national capital were earlier scheduled to be held on October 19. However, the Delhi High Court recently deferred the same till December 13 in view of the present litigation before the Supreme Court.

Corrigendum: An earlier version of the piece had incorrectly stated that Senior Advocate Lekhi was appearing for the DHCBA. The error is regretted.

[Read an account of today's hearing]