ON MARCH 20, ADVOCATE ON RECORD Pratik R. Bombarde wrote a letter to Justice L. Nageswara Rao (Retd.), Chairman of Committee for Electoral Reforms in the Supreme Court Bar Association, suggesting the introduction of reservation policy for lawyers from Scheduled Caste (‘SC’) and Scheduled Tribe (‘ST’) communities in the election for the SCBA Executive Committee. Bombarde specifically emphasised reservation in the top posts such as President, Vice President, and Secretary.
A similar demand was sought by the All India Backward Classes Advocates Foundation and the Karnataka SC/ST Backward Classes and Minorities Advocates Federation through a petition filed before the Supreme Court in February this year, demanding reservations for SC, STs and Other Backward Classes (‘OBCs’) in the governing council of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru (‘AAB’). However, Justice Surya Kant had noted that the petitioners’ demand was not backed by sufficient data.
Bombarde’s proposal draws attention to the unfortunate fact that, “no member from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has ever been elected to the aforementioned key posts in the history of the Supreme Court Bar Association.” The lack of representation of the SC and ST members in the SCBA’s top positions, notwithstanding their considerable presence in the legal profession, deprives them of the opportunity to voice their opinions in the decision making process. In order to bridge this gap, Bombarde writes, “the introduction of reserved posts within the SCBA executive committee is not just a step toward fairness but a necessary intervention to ensure that their voices are heard and their concerns addressed.”
