In 2014, the Bombay Lawyer’s Association had filed a PIL seeking 30 per cent reservation for women in the Bar Council of India as well as other bar associations..Last Friday, the PIL came up before a division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and GS Kulkarni. The bench has reportedly asked the BCI and bar associations of Maharashtra and Goa to file a reply in this matter. The PIL will now come up for hearing on April 21..Bar & Bench spoke to the President of the BLA, Ahmad Abdi..(Excerpts below).Why did you decide to file this petition?.We feel that there is a need for empowerment of women in our society, especially women advocates..If we have so many women lawyers working today, why is it that in the last two decades only three lady advocates were designated as seniors in the Bombay High Court?.Do you have the support of women senior counsel at Bombay?.When they reach such a point in their careers, they do not really care about these issues..How do you think the BCI will respond to this?.I think they will give a positive response. Look, law is never static it has to evolve with the times. We feel if women are not included in the decision making process then there is no point talking about their empowerment..Read the petition below.
In 2014, the Bombay Lawyer’s Association had filed a PIL seeking 30 per cent reservation for women in the Bar Council of India as well as other bar associations..Last Friday, the PIL came up before a division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and GS Kulkarni. The bench has reportedly asked the BCI and bar associations of Maharashtra and Goa to file a reply in this matter. The PIL will now come up for hearing on April 21..Bar & Bench spoke to the President of the BLA, Ahmad Abdi..(Excerpts below).Why did you decide to file this petition?.We feel that there is a need for empowerment of women in our society, especially women advocates..If we have so many women lawyers working today, why is it that in the last two decades only three lady advocates were designated as seniors in the Bombay High Court?.Do you have the support of women senior counsel at Bombay?.When they reach such a point in their careers, they do not really care about these issues..How do you think the BCI will respond to this?.I think they will give a positive response. Look, law is never static it has to evolve with the times. We feel if women are not included in the decision making process then there is no point talking about their empowerment..Read the petition below.
