Separate Ballots for Women Advocates in Bar Elections? HC issues notice keeps Polls on Track

The Karnataka High Court stepped into a brewing controversy over the conduct of State Bar Council elections, issuing notice on a woman advocate’s plea challenging the absence of a separate ballot for seats reserved for women, while refusing to halt the scheduled polls. The order is significant as it tests how the Supreme Court’s mandate on women’s representation in Bar Councils is implemented at the ground level.

The petition was filed by Advocate Sandhya U. Prabhu, who intends to contest the upcoming State Bar Council elections, arguing that the election notification fails to operationalise the Supreme Court’s directive mandating minimum representation of women advocates. With 18 seats in play and several hundred candidates contesting on a common ballot, the petitioner contended that the absence of a distinct ballot mechanism undermines the very purpose of reserving five elective seats for women, making it practically impossible for voters to meaningfully exercise choice in favour of women candidates.

Justice B.M. Shyam Prasad declined to interfere with the election schedule but acknowledged the substance of the grievance, observing that the issue warranted consideration by the authorities. The Court recorded that while it was “not inclined to stay the elections,” the petitioner must be permitted to seek remedial directions from the Bar Council and the Election Officer, noting that she should be “at liberty to file representation… for just orders, for a separate ballot paper for lady advocates who propose to contest elections against the five posts reserved for them.”

The Court accordingly issued notice and kept the question of ballot structure open for further examination.

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