Has Supreme Court Interdicted Bar Council Meeting Till Co-option Of Women Members? Kerala High Court Seeks Clarification

The Kerala High Court on Friday (August 14) orally asked if the Supreme Court has passed an order interdicting the meeting of the State Bar Council until the co-option of women members.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas put forth the query while hearing two pleas with prayers, including a declaration that the new Council is validly elected and a direction to the Secretary of the body to convene the meeting.

The Court had earlier stayed the operation of an order dated June 30, 2026 issued by the Chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI) constituting a Limited Interim Authority for the Bar Council of Kerala (BCK) after noting that inclusion of a former Bar Council Chairman who was no longer an elected member prima facie violated the democratic scheme of the Advocates Act, 1961.

When the matter came up yesterday, the Court was told that the Secretary of the bar body had not yet convened a meeting of the newly elected members of the XIII Bar Council.

The Court then asked why this was not done yet and the counsel appearing for the BCK submitted that the co-option of two women members to the Council as directed by the Supreme Court has not yet been done.

Upon hearing the same, the Court wanted clarification:

"Under what authority are you not convening a meeting of Bar Council? Please tell me, has the Supreme Court ever interdicted convening of a meeting of the Bar Council merely because two lady members will have to be coopted?"

The Bar Council's counsel submitted that no such direction has been made. Advocate Yeshwant Shenoy, an elected member of the new Council, who was appearing in person, agreed that no such bar has been made. He added that the work of the Council is affected due to non-convening of the meeting and sought a direction to the Secretary to do so.

However, the Court wanted the Supreme Court's directions to be placed on record before passing any directions:

"You place on record the directions of the Supreme Court...Has the Supreme Court made any observations? I don't want to pass any directions contradicting the Supreme Court's directions."

The case now stands posted to Tuesday (August 18) for further consideration.

Notably, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court had permitted the newly elected BCK to approach the Chief Justice for coopting the lady members while hearing a writ petition filed by three newly elected members seeking to quash the BCI's June 30 order appointing a limited interim authority.

Case Title: Yeshwanth Shenoy v. Bar Council of India and Ors. & Prasad Chandran and Anr. v. BCI and Anr.

Case No: WP(C) 26232/ 2026 & WP(C) 25168/ 2026

Counsel for the petitioner: M.R. Anison

Counsel for the respondents: Rajit, P. Ramakrishnan