Now Reading: BCI withdraws direction to state bar councils on women co-option
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BCI withdraws direction to state bar councils on women co-option
The Bar Council of India has kept in abeyance its August 11 communication that directed state bar councils to convene meetings on August 16 to prepare a panel of four women members…
The Story in Brief
The Bar Council of India has kept in abeyance its August 11 communication that directed state bar councils to convene meetings on August 16 to prepare a panel of four women members for co-option. The BCI said proceeding now would be premature because election-related disputes are pending before the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee set up by the Supreme Court.
The BCI cited the Supreme Court's August 4 order in Yogamaya M.G. v. Union of India, which asked chief justices of high courts to select two women members for co-option after consulting elected bar council members. The petitioner in that case had argued before the court that the BCI's earlier circular overreached the Supreme Court's directions by creating a four-member panel mechanism not contemplated in the order. The BCI has now told state councils to take no further action until it issues fresh instructions.
The Indian Opinion
The BCI's flip-flop exposes a deeper tussle: the Supreme Court wanted chief justices to pick two women after consulting elected members, while the BCI tried to pre-empt that by demanding a panel of four. The petitioner rightly called it overreach. But the real test is whether the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee's ruling on transferable votes will finally clarify who gets to be co-opted and how. Until then, every circular adds confusion, not clarity.
Source: livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
