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Supreme Court directs SCBA to hold polls, reserve secretary post for women
The court’s direction on reserving the post of the secretary for a woman candidate follows a similar reservation for the treasurer position last year
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that elections for the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) office bearers and executive committee members be held on May 20, using the voter list prepared for the 2024 elections.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan also directed that the post of secretary for the 2025-26 term be exclusively reserved for a woman candidate. Additionally, one-third of the executive committee positions, three of the nine seats, will also be reserved for women, continuing a precedent set in a 2024 directive, the court said, adding that the Bar must devise a “culture of accommodation and inclusivity.”
The court’s direction on reserving the post of the secretary for a woman candidate follows a similar reservation for the treasurer position last year.
In May 2024, the Supreme Court directed that SCBA reserve one third of its executive member posts for women candidates. The court passed the order after a special general body of the SCBA shot down an internal resolution for reserving such seats for women.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court also ordered that members who attain eligibility up to February 28, 2025, be included in the electoral roll, expanding the voting base beyond the finalised 2024 list.
The court appointed senior advocates Pavani Mahalakshmi, Jitendra Mohan Sharma, and Vijay Hansaria as election officers and directed that counting be completed on the same day, with results declared on May 21, 2025.
The bench also took on record a report submitted by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice L Nageswara Rao, recommending comprehensive reforms to the SCBA bye-laws and election procedures. The court however, clarified that the recommendations cannot be enforced ahead of the 2025 elections, and that the Bar needed to deliberate upon the recommendations made. The court hence directed that the Justice Rao Committee report be made publicly available on the SCBA website.
The court also suggested that the SCBA align its election schedule with those of the high court and district bar associations to ensure uniformity across bar associations.
The existing SCBA executive committee, led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, demits office on May 19.
