New Delhi, May 6 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that elections to the office bearers of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) be conducted on May 20, affirming that the voter list finalised for the 2024 elections will remain valid.
A bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan, passed the directions while hearing matters related to electoral reforms within the SCBA.
The bench further clarified that, in addition to the 2024 voter list, those members who acquired eligibility up to February 28, 2025, shall also be entitled to be included in the voter list for the upcoming poll.
Significantly, the court directed that the post of Secretary in the 2025 elections shall be exclusively reserved for women candidates, marking a continuation of the affirmative steps taken toward gender inclusivity in bar governance. Additionally, one-third of the seats (3 out of 9) in the SCBA Executive Committee will also be reserved for women.
The court further ordered that the report submitted by Justice (Retd) L Nageswara Rao, containing recommendations for reforms in the SCBA by-laws and election processes, should be uploaded on the official SCBA website.
While the report will not be subject to legal challenge, the court allowed SCBA members to submit suggestions regarding its contents.
During the proceedings, the bench acknowledged the importance of a consultative approach and clarified that the recommendations in the Rao Committee Report may not be implemented for the 2024 election, as members of the Bar are yet to be heard.
However, the court warned the Association against delaying or dismissing the report.
“We don’t want to implement any report mechanically. It’s ultimately your matter. But we will not allow the Bar to sit over the report,” Justice Surya Kant emphasised.
Responding to Senior Advocate Dr Adish Aggarwala’s suggestion that the report be referred to the Bar Association, Justice Kant asserted, “Justice Rao has not made recommendations at the asking of the Bar. We must give full respect to that report.”
He added that while the 2024 elections will proceed as per existing norms, the Bar must consider aligning its election schedule with that of High Courts and District Courts in future.
Senior Advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for Advocate Yogamaya M G, through Advocate on Record (AoR) Deepak Prakash, requested that the Secretary post be reserved for women in rotation from the Treasurer post, which had been reserved previously. The bench accepted the suggestion.
Notably, this is the second consecutive year that the apex court has advanced women’s representation in SCBA leadership.
Last year, for the first time, the Court directed implementation of one-third reservation for women in SCBA posts and initiated steps toward reforming the Association’s membership and electoral structure.
The matter will continue to be monitored as the election process unfolds, and the Bar responds to the Rao Committee’s reform proposals.
