Supreme Court Reserves Treasurer Plus 30% EC/Councilor Posts For Women Lawyers In All Karnataka District Bar Associations

The Supreme Court today reserved the post of Treasurer and 30% of the Executive Committee/Governing Council posts for women lawyers across all district bar associations in the State of Karnataka.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh passed the order, after a prayer was made that the order reserving posts for women lawyers in the case of Advocates' Association Bengaluru may be extended to all district bar associations in the state. 

Commenting that the Court "wants this movement to spread all over India", Justice Kant dictated thus:

"We accordingly direct that the directions contained in our order dated 28.01.2025 in respect of Advocates' Association Bengaluru, shall apply mutatis mutandis in the matter of elections of the district bar associations in the entire state of Karnataka. All the district bar associations are accordingly directed to earmark the post of Treasurer exclusively for women candidates and reserve 30% post of Councilors/members of Executive Committee exclusively for women candidates as was directed in the case of Advocates' Association Bengaluru."

It was further ordered that each bar association, after holding its election, shall submit a compliance report to the Registrar General of the High Court, who shall then collate and submit a comprehensive compliance report to the Supreme Court.

During the hearing, one of the counsels apprised the Court about an order passed today by a single bench of the Karnataka High Court whereby Tumakuru District Advocates Association was directed to create one post of Treasurer and two posts for Executive Committee Members for women, in view of a submission by the Association that it would reserve the said posts for women in the upcoming elections.

When Justice Kant enquired as to when the elections in the High Court Bar and District Bar were scheduled in the state, Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari, appearing for the Karnataka Federation of Women Lawyers, informed that women lawyers had secured Treasurer plus 30% EC posts in the High Court Bar. The issue only remained with respect to district bar associations, Kothari said, of which elections are upcoming. Accordingly, the Court passed its order.

Case Title: DEEKSHA N AMRUTHESH Versus STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ORS., SLP(C) No. 1404/2025 (and connected cases)