Recently, a fresh plea urging stronger gender representation within Delhi’s legal institutions has been placed before the Supreme Court, with Advocate Vani Singhal seeking directions to reserve 30% of seats for women in the upcoming 2026 elections to the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD). The application has been moved in the ongoing proceedings in Fozia Rehman v. Bar Council of Delhi, a matter already engaging the Court on gender-based reservation across bar associations.
The case arose from Advocate Vani Singhal’s request to intervene in the proceedings concerning the reservation of posts for women in the Delhi High Court Bar Association. Adv. Singhal, who currently serves as an elected member of the Delhi Bar Association’s executive body, has sought an order directing the BCD to earmark eight out of its 25 seats for women candidates as an interim arrangement. She highlighted that since the creation of the BCD in 1961, only two women have ever been members, and that presently “not a single woman” occupies any of the 25 positions. The plea further notes the absence of women in decision-making across the council’s committees, including those dealing with discipline, enrolment, elections, welfare, rules, library management, and administrative affairs.
Represented by counsel Ujwal Ghai, Singhal submitted that the persistent exclusion of women from the BCD’s governing structure affects representation in all functional committees. She placed reliance on the Apex Court’s earlier directions mandating reservation for women in the elections of the Delhi High Court Bar Association and all district bar associations, asserting that the BCD must follow the same course. The application also refers to similar directions issued by the Top Court in matters relating to the Sales Tax Bar Association and the National Green Tribunal bar bodies, pointing to a judicial approach supportive of ensuring women’s participation in professional regulatory institutions.
The plea draws support from the Court’s earlier interim order, wherein it directed that “the post of Treasurer is earmarked exclusively for women candidates” in the Delhi High Court Bar Association elections. It further ordered that a post in the Executive Committee elected from Senior Designated Advocates, as well as a post in the category of advocates with 25 years of practice, “shall be earmarked exclusively for women candidates.” The Court had also held that the scheduled elections must proceed, and for district bar associations, it directed that the post of Treasurer be reserved for women while mandating that 30% of Executive Member positions “shall be earmarked in each District Bar Association for the women candidates having at least 10 years practice to their credit.”
Advocate Singhal’s request seeking a similar reservation in the Bar Council of Delhi has now been placed before the Bench led by the Chief Justice of India. The matter stands listed for consideration on December 1, with the Court yet to pass any orders on the plea.
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