The Bar Council of India (BCI) has withdrawn its recent direction requiring State Bar Councils to prepare panels of women advocates for co-option, shortly after issuing the instruction.
The development comes against the backdrop of the BCI’s earlier communication asking State Bar Councils to identify and prepare a panel of eligible women members who could be considered for co-option in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
The decision to withdraw the direction was communicated through a subsequent notice issued by the BCI. The precise reasons for the withdrawal were not immediately clear from the communication.
The earlier directive had called upon State Bar Councils to take steps towards preparing a panel comprising women advocates for the purpose of co-option. The move had drawn attention as the Bar’s apex regulatory body has, in recent years, emphasised greater representation of women within statutory and representative bodies of the legal profession.
With the withdrawal of the communication, State Bar Councils are no longer required to proceed on the basis of the direction in question.
The BCI is the statutory body responsible for regulating legal education and professional standards for advocates in India under the Advocates Act, 1961. State Bar Councils, constituted under the same legislation, are responsible for functions including the enrolment and regulation of advocates within their respective jurisdictions.
The withdrawal marks a reversal of the BCI’s immediate position on the proposed preparation of women-member panels for co-option. Further clarity may emerge if the Council issues a fresh communication setting out its position or modifies the earlier direction.
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