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New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday directed that 30 per cent of seats be reserved for women advocates in the forthcoming elections to the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, marking a significant step towards gender representation in legal bodies.

A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the direction while hearing an application in a pending petition seeking measures to ensure adequate representation of women advocates in State Bar Councils across the country.

The Bench clarified that all State Bar Councils where elections are yet to be formally notified must ensure 30 per cent representation for women advocates. Applying this principle to Punjab and Haryana, the court noted that the election process had not yet commenced, with only the final voter list having been published.

“We are satisfied that our direction in paragraph 4 of the order dated December 8, 2025, to the extent of the words ‘Punjab & Haryana’, is liable to be deleted, as the election process is yet to commence and only the voter list has been finalised,” the Bench observed.

Accordingly, the court held that the requirement of 30 per cent representation of women members, as contemplated in paragraph 6 of its earlier order, would apply mutatis mutandis (with necessary changes) to the ensuing elections of the Bar Council of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The court also sought the assistance of R Venkataramani and Aishwarya Bhati on a related submission seeking directions to increase the number of elected members in State Bar Councils, in view of the substantial rise in the total number of advocates across the country.

In its earlier order dated December 8, 2025, the Supreme Court had noted that elections to four State Bar Councils had already been notified and that earmarking seats for women at such an advanced stage would not be prudent. At that time, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab & Haryana were specifically exempted on the assumption that their election processes had commenced.

However, upon reconsideration, the Bench clarified that Punjab and Haryana stood on a different footing, as elections were yet to begin, making it both feasible and appropriate to enforce the reservation for women advocates.

The ruling is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the composition of Bar Councils, reinforcing the court’s broader push for inclusivity and equitable representation within the legal profession.