Karnataka HC halts Tumakuru Bar Association polls over women's quota plea

The Karnataka High Court has put on hold the upcoming elections for the Tumakuru District Advocates Association after a group of women lawyers petitioned for 33% reservation in the association’s leadership.

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The interim stay was issued by a single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna, who heard the petition on Wednesday. The elections, initially scheduled for April 5, will now remain stalled until the next hearing on March 21.

The petitioners had earlier approached the Election Officer and the Association’s President on March 5, seeking one-third of the posts to be reserved for women. However, the Association rejected their demand on March 17, citing its bylaws, which it claimed already included provisions for women’s representation. It also pointed to constraints in committee authority and decision-making timelines.

Challenging this stance, the petitioners argued that the Association failed to uphold constitutional principles of equality. They dismissed the ‘lack of time’ reasoning as an inadequate justification for rejecting their request. The petitioners contended that denying women fair representation despite their significant presence in the Association amounts to gender discrimination.

With the High Court’s intervention, the election process stands temporarily suspended. The case will now be reviewed further in the upcoming hearing. Advocate Vidyashree K.S. represented the petitioners in court.