Executive Summary:
This document provides a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1034, answered on July 25, 2025, regarding the representation of women, Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST) advocates in the Indian judiciary. It presents data on women advocates and addresses the availability of caste-wise data and support programs for first-generation SC/ST law graduates. The Bar Council of India (BCI) is responsible for regulating the legal profession, while the empanelment of Central Government Advocates is based on merit.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Data on Advocates:**
* Approximately 284,507 women advocates are enrolled across India as of November 2024, according to BCI data from fifteen State Bar Councils.
* Uttar Pradesh accounts for 49,545 of the total women advocates enrolled.
* Caste-wise enrollment data for SC/ST advocates is not centrally maintained by the Bar Council of India.
* **Empanelment of Central Government Advocates:**
* Empanelment is based on suitability and merit, irrespective of gender, caste, or community.
* **NALSA Data:**
* NALSA does not maintain caste-wise data for empanelled advocates.
* State-wise data on the number of women lawyers empanelled under NALSA-affiliated schemes is provided for 37 entities, totaling 10,081 women lawyers.
* **Support Programs for SC/ST Law Graduates:**
* There are no centrally supported clerkship, fellowship, or mentorship programs for first-generation SC/ST law graduates.
* Some State Bar Councils, including Uttar Pradesh, have initiated limited measures like induction training and mentorship, but these are not centrally funded or uniformly regulated.
* There is no specific tracking of SC/ST or first-generation status in these state-level measures.
Impact Analysis:
* **Bar Council of India (BCI):**
* Impact: The BCI is highlighted as the primary regulatory body for the legal profession in India and is responsible for maintaining enrollment data. However, the BCI does not maintain caste-wise data.
* Action Required: Continue regulating the legal profession as per the Advocates Act, 1961.
* **Central Government:**
* Impact: The Central Government's empanelment process for advocates is scrutinized for its adherence to merit and suitability, irrespective of gender or caste.
* Action Required: Maintain the current empanelment process based on merit and suitability.
* **National Legal Services Authority (NALSA):**
* Impact: NALSA's role in providing legal services is noted, but the lack of caste-wise data collection is highlighted.
* Action Required: Continue providing legal services, focusing on the available data regarding women lawyers empanelled under affiliated schemes.
* **State Bar Councils (including Uttar Pradesh):**
* Impact: State Bar Councils are recognized for their limited initiatives to support first-generation SC/ST law graduates.
* Action Required: Continue with existing support measures such as training and mentorship programs.
* **Women, SC, and ST Advocates:**
* Impact: The document provides data on the representation of women advocates and acknowledges the lack of specific support programs for SC/ST advocates at the central level.
* Action Required: Continue to seek opportunities within the legal profession and utilize available state-level support programs.
Key Entities Referenced
Scheduled Caste: A designated group of historically disadvantaged people in India.
Scheduled Tribe: A designated group of historically disadvantaged indigenous people in India.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in northern India with a significant number of women advocates.
NALSA: National Legal Services Authority, an organization providing legal services.
Advocates Act, 1961: The law governing the legal profession in India.
Bar Council of India: The regulatory body for the legal profession in India (BCI).
Arjun Ram Meghwal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State Independent Charge of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India with a specified number of female lawyers empanelled under NALSA-affiliated schemes.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1034
ANSWERED ON 25.07.2025
Representation of Women, SC, ST advocates in Judiciary
1034. Shri Pushpendra Saroj:
Ms Iqra Choudhary:
Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:
(a) the number of women and Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)
advocates currently practising in the district courts, subordinate courts, Central
Government legal panels, and under NALSA-affiliated schemes, classified
across cadre and court level, State-wise;
(b) the number of women and Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)
advocates from the State of Uttar Pradesh currently practising in the district
courts, subordinate courts, Central Government legal panels and under NALSA
affiliated schemes, classified across cadre and court level, district-wise; and
(c) whether any centrally supported clerkship/fellowship or mentorship
programmes exist to support first-generation SC/ST law graduates from the
State, if so, the number of beneficiaries supported thereunder, State-wise and
district-wise across Uttar Pradesh?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF
LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)
(a) & (b) As per the Advocates Act, 1961 the Bar Council of India (BCI) is
responsible for the regulation of Legal profession in India, and as per the latest
consolidated enrolment data compiled by the Bar Council of India from fifteenState Bar Councils, approximately 2,84,507 women advocates are enrolled
across the country, with the State of Uttar Pradesh accounting for 49,545
women advocates as of November 2024. However, with regard to SC/ST
advocates, it is stated that caste-wise enrolment data is not centrally maintained
by the Bar Council of India.
As regards the empanelment of Central Government Advocates, it is submitted
that the process is based entirely on the suitability and merit of the advocates,
irrespective of their gender, caste, or community. Further, the National Legal
Services Authority (NALSA) does not maintain data regarding the caste
categories, including Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), of
empanelled advocates. However, the state-wise number of women lawyers
empanelled under NALSA-affiliated schemes is as under:
S.No. State Legal Service Authorities Female Lawyers
1 Andhra Pradesh 390
2 Arunachal Pradesh 41
3 Assam 231
4 Bihar 350
5 Chhattisgarh 362
6 Goa 141
7 Gujarat 679
8 Haryana 271
9 Himachal Pradesh 71
10 Jharkhand 246
11 Karnataka 986
12 Kerala 862
13 Madhya Pradesh 342
14 Maharashtra 1137
15 Manipur 83
16 Meghalaya 95
17 Mizoram 25
18 Nagaland 30
19 Odisha 307
20 Punjab 165
21 Rajasthan 148
22 Sikkim 69
23 Tamil Nadu 868
24 Telangana 32625 Tripura 81
26 Uttar Pradesh 221
27 Uttarakhand 72
28 West Bengal 710
29 A&N Islands 10
30 Chandigarh 20
31 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1
32 Daman & Diu 9
33 Delhi 482
34 Jammu & Kashmir 135
35 Ladakh 5
36 Lakshadweep 0
37 Puducherry 110
TOTAL 10081
(c) No such centrally supported clerkship, fellowship, or mentorship
programme for first-generation Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) law
graduates has been formulated. However, some State Bar Councils, including
the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, have initiated limited measures such as
induction training programmes, continuing legal education modules, and
informal mentorship sessions conducted in association with senior advocates
and retired judicial officers. These measures, while commendable, are neither
uniformly regulated nor based on centrally funded frameworks and do not
include specific tracking of SC/ST or first-generation status.
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