On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the Supreme Court firmly instructed the Bar Council of India (BCI) to reserve 30% of seats for women in the next State Bar Council elections. A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued this order while hearing petitions by Supreme Court advocates Yogamaya M.G. and Shehla Chaudhary. These advocates highlighted the low presence of women and marginalized groups in Bar Council bodies across India. The Court stated, “Keeping in view the constitutional ethos, the recent legislative initiatives and the orders passed by this Court from time to time, we expect that the Bar Council of India will construe the existing rules/framework in such a manner as to ensure that 30% seats in each State Bar Council are occupied by women members.” The reservation must apply not only to elected members but also to office-bearers in every State Bar Council. The Court clarified that rules would be treated as amended to include this quota. It ordered the BCI to report the compliance steps by December 8. Senior advocate Shobha Gupta, representing the petitioners, said the current election rules under the Advocates Act, 1961, exclude women and that upcoming five-phase Bar Council elections from January to April 2026 had no women reservation, risking another five years without female representation. On the other side, senior advocate Gurukumar for the BCI argued that adding reservation requires changes to the 1961 Act and that many State Bar Councils had already started elections, making quick changes tough. The Chief Justice assured oversight of the process and said, “We will resolve issues as they arise. You come out with a notification on Monday.” These petitions reference the Supreme Court’s May 2, 2024 order, which reserved one-third of seats, including an office-bearer post, for women on the Supreme Court Bar Association’s executive committee.