The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Supreme Court Bar Association to reserve at least one-third of posts in the executive committee elections of SCBA for female advocates.

The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice KV Viswanathan ordered the SCBA to include six women lawyers in its executive committee this year, including three as executive members, two as senior executive members, and one as the SCBA Treasurer.

The Apex Court exempted the post of SCBA President from its order.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dealt with a similar matter.

On February 29, 2024, SCBA President Adish Aggarwala assured the High Court that a general body meeting will be convened in two months to discuss amending the SCBA rules to reserve at least two posts in the executive committee for women lawyers.

The assurance came on a petition filed by Advocate Yogamaya MG seeking directions to the SCBA to convene a meeting and discuss the issue.

The petitioner submitted that she had earlier written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud to suggest an amendment in the SCBA Rules to ensure at least two positions were earmarked for women lawyers in the executive committee of SCBA.

Yogamaya contended before the High Court that such an amendment was crucial to ensure inclusivity and diversity in the SCBA and to promote gender equality.

She said the absence of adequate representation of women lawyers may perpetuate an environment where issues related to sexual harassment were not properly addressed.

The SCBA President then apprised the High Court that it would need at least two months to convene a general body meeting to discuss the issue since the notice would have to be sent to nearly 20,000 members of SCBA.

The High Court had then disposed of the petition after taking note of the SCBA President’s assurance.

The Supreme Court has lifted the stay that was imposed by the Gauhati High Court on elections to the executive committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)

A Bench comprising of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Justice SV Bhatti have issued notice on a plea by the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association.

The Apex Court has also stayed the interim order passed by the High Court.

A special Sunday hearing was held last month, where the High Court of Gauhati had stayed the elections while dealing with a case raising grievance over the alleged failure to affiliate the Assam Wrestling Association with the WFI, making the former not participate in the elections.

In the plea filed against this order, the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association apprised the Supreme Court that the elections were stayed by the High Court in a third party’s plea.

The counsel for the Association explained that the elections had to be rescheduled again, as the disputes between various states have since been resolved.

The Supreme Court issued notice in the matter and stayed the High Court’s interim order.

Justice Nani Tagia of the Gauhati High Court passed the interim order under challenge on June 25 directing the WFI not to proceed with the polls that were earlier scheduled to be held on July 11, while seeking the response of the WFI and the Union Sports Ministry in the matter.

It is interesting to note that while the case was heard yesterday another single-judge of the High Court, Justice Devashis Baruah, appeared to hold a different view on this matter.

 Justice Baruah had orally remarked that how can there be a stay elections? What is this stay business of elections, this writ business? Why do you not go to the civil court? What are you doing in a writ court? Writ court is easier? We should have a witness box there. How do you take care of election? Whether it has taken place with formalities or not, how does it…Name some prominent wrestlers of Assam. This is an injunction type of thing. You do not have a case, you are lucky they (WFI) are not here.

The resolution to grant affiliation to the Assam Wrestling Association was passed in an executive committee meeting held in 2014 under the chairmanship of tainted former WFI Chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Singh is currently accused of sexual harassment by various female wrestlers. After a criminal complaint was lodged by the Delhi Police in the matter, the Supreme Court recently closed the proceedings before it which had alleged police inaction in the case.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) will hold elections to choose members for its Executive Committee on May 17. 

As per a statement issued by SCBA, the list of provisional voters will be displayed on the notice board and website of SCBA on April 15. 

It said the SCBA office will intimate all the members by SMS regarding the publication of provisional voters list.

The members may file objections to the provisional voters list in the office of SCBA by 5:00 pm of April 24, which will then be taken up by the Election Committee of SCBA in Milon Banerjee conference room on April 28.

Final voters list will be displayed on the notice board and website of SCBA on May 1. Members will be intimated by SMS regarding the same, it added.

The statement said the members whose names appear in the voters list can file their nominations for various posts from May 2 to 4 between 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Names of both proposer and seconder must also appear in the voters list, it noted. 

The statement said the draft list of candidates shall be displayed on the notice board and SCBA website on May 6. 

The members can file objections or withdraw their nominations by May 8 in the office of SCBA.

Immediately upon receiving the objections to the nominations or withdrawal, if any, the same shall be notified by the office of SCBA to the concerned candidate(s), it added.

President of Supreme Court Advocate-On-Record Association (SCAORA) Manoj K. Mishra, along with the newly-elected members of the executive committee, met Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana here on Friday.

Issues like allotment of chambers and filing & listing of cases were discussed during the meeting.

Vice-President of the Association, Advocate Snehasish Mukherjee, Honorary Secretary Advocate Devvrat present, Joint Secretary Advocate Rashmi Malhotra, Treasurer Advocate Puneet Singh Bindra and Joint Treasurer Advocate Sachin Sharma graced the occasion.

Besides, the Executive Committee members of SCAORA, including Advocates Abhinav Ramakrishna, Vishal Prasad, Meenakshi Chauhan, Divya Jyoti Singh, Anzu K Varkey and Aakarshan Aditya were present.

A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court against the Supreme Court Bar Association, alleging that the Executive Committee of the SCBA has made brazen attempts to interfere with the election process and undermine the sanctity of the Election Committee and upsetting free and fair elections of SCBA office-bearers for 2020-21.

The petition, filed by Advocate Abhinav Ramakrishna, states, “The manner in which the Executive Committee of the Respondent Association has sought to usurp the powers of the Election Committee and has forced the Election Committee to resign clearly smacks of malafide and is illegal.”

Earlier, the Executive Committee on December 4, 2020 resolved to hold the 2020-21 elections through online mode and nominated an Election Committee comprising Senior Advocates Jaideep Gupta (Chairperson), Harin P. Raval (Member) and Nakul Dewan (Member) in furtherance to which, the Election Committee considering the prevailing situation amid Covid-19 decided to conduct the elections in virtual mode on January 29.

Whereas, after commencement of the election process, the Executive Committee blatantly overriding the decision of the Election Committee passed a Resolution stating that the election shall be carried out in a hybrid mode (instead of virtual mode as decided earlier) and should be conducted by the third week of February.

The plea stated, “As per the scheme of the Rules, the only power conferred to the Executive Committee with regard to the elections is to nominate the Election Committee and follow the directions of such duly-constituted Election Committee. The refusal by the Executive Committee to sanction the expenses payable to NSDL for the conduct of elections and passing of a Resolution that the election shall be held in hybrid mode is therefore in teeth of the Rule 17A.”

The plea has sought direction quashing of the Resolution of the SCBA and declaring the same as unlawful, illegal, arbitrary, unauthorized, violative of principles of free and fair elections.

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