SC issues notice to Centre, Bar Council on plea seeking social security measures for women advocates

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Centre and Bar Council of India on the plea seeking direction to formulate a scheme towards the social security measures for women advocates in coordination with respective state bar councils.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Aniruddha Bose sought a response from Centre and Bar Council of India on the plea filed by lady advocate Indu Kaul.

Seeking social security measures of women advocates, the plea said it is due to unsafe working conditions in the courts that women advocates prefer working in corporate law firms.

Social security measures such as life insurance and mediclaim for loss of income on account of maternity leave, disability, prolonged illness and chronic health problem, must be provided for women advocates, the plea stated. In the current scheme of things, there is no social security provided to the advocates either through bar councils or bar associations.

Earlier, the lawyers had filed a plea seeking CBI enquiry into the murder of Darvesh Yadav, who was elected the first woman chairperson of Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh. She was shot at by another lawyer, Manish Sharma, inside Agra district court premises.

The bench has granted liberty to petitioner lawyer Indu Kaul to approach the jurisdictional High Court (Allahabad) as the relief sought by the lawyer for CBI enquiry.