Karnataka High Court nominates two women advocates as co-opted members of State Bar Council

The Karnataka High Court has nominated Senior Advocate S Susheela and Advocate Vijayamma V as co-opted members of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC).

The nominations were made by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, after consultation with the elected members of the State Bar Council.

A communication issued by High Court Registrar General M. Chandrashekar Reddy on September 10 confirmed the nominations.

The move follows the Supreme Court's August 4 directions in Yogamaya MG v. Union of India and connected proceedings, under which Chief Justices of High Courts were empowered to nominate two women advocates as members of their respective State Bar Councils.

The Supreme Court's directions were issued in the backdrop of concerns over inadequate representation of women in elected bodies governing the legal profession. The mechanism provides for the co-option of women members in consultation with elected members of the respective State Bar Councils.

Meanwhile, elections for the posts of KSBC Chairman and Vice Chairman are scheduled to be held on October 1. September 22 is the last date for filing nominations.

As of Tuesday, elected members and Advocates N Devaraj and Rajanna have filed their nominations for the post of Chairman.

Advocate Shivamurthy has filed his nomination for the post of Vice-Chairman.

Advocate CM Dhananjaya has filed his nomination for the Bar Council of India nominee post from the Karnataka State Bar Council.

The Advocate General of Karnataka, 2 co-opted women members and 23 elected members of the Karnataka State Bar Council will constitute the electoral body for choosing the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Bar Council of India (BCI) nominee.