New Delhi [India], May 20 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central government and all States on a PIL seeking a minimum 30 per cent reservation for women lawyers in government legal panels.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, asking parties in the case to submit some comprehensive material, sought a response from the government.
The petition was filed by the Ladli Foundation Trust seeking reservations for women in the government legal panel.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioner, referred to a recent survey conducted by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) highlighting the challenges faced by women advocates.
He argued that merely including women lawyers in government panels was not enough, as they were often not assigned cases. He, therefore, urged the bench to ensure a mechanism that guarantees the actual allotment of cases to women advocates as well.
The PIL sought a direction to implement a minimum 30 per cent reservation for women advocates in all High Court panels, government law officer positions and Central and State government/PSU empanelments, to ensure enforcement of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15(3), 19(1)(g) and 21.
Empirical data indicate severe under-representation of women in such panels and legal positions, contended the petitioner.
"While women increasingly enter law schools and the legal profession in significant numbers, their representation declines sharply in positions of professional authority. Statistical data indicates that out of approx 1.54 million advocates enrolled across India, only about 2,84,507 are women, constituting approximately 15.31 per cent of the legal workforce", the plea stated.
The plea pointed out that the gender disparity is visible even in the higher judiciary, noting that only 11 women have been appointed to the Supreme Court since Justice Fathima Beevi became the first woman judge of the apex court in 1989.
The PIL further underscored that since independence, no woman lawyer has been appointed as the Attorney General for India or the Solicitor General of India. It also pointed out that none of the Additional Solicitors General designated for High Courts are women.