On Monday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) and the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) regarding a petition that calls for reserving at least two seats for women lawyers on the executive committee of the DHCBA.

The Division Bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, scheduled the next hearing for August 12.

The PIL will be heard alongside another petition that demands 33% reservation for women in the bar associations of the national capital. The new petition was filed in the High Court by advocate Fozia Rahman.

The plea has requested that two seats be reserved for women advocates in key positions such as President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, Joint Secretary, and Treasurer, either on a rotational basis or through another suitable method that best addresses gender imbalance within the Delhi High Court Bar Association’s decision-making processes. Alternatively, the plea seeks a directive to reserve the position of President for women lawyers once every three years. In years when the presidency is contested by all Bar members, it is proposed that the positions of Secretary or Joint Secretary be reserved for women.

Rahman argued that the leadership positions within the DHCBA lack gender diversity.

“Despite the comprehensive framework of Rule 19 of the DHCBA Rules, there remains a notable absence of gender diversity in the decision-making posts of the Association. The significant growth in the DHCBA's membership, currently exceeding 32,000 members, necessitates an adaptation of the organizational structure to better reflect this increased membership and ensure diverse representation,” the plea said.

The petition also noted that the petitioner, along with approximately 200 other advocates, had previously submitted a representation highlighting these issues, but no decision has been made by the respondents thus far.