Lok Sabha Question No. 1034 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-25
Subject: Representation of Women, SC, ST advocates in Judiciary
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Ms Iqra Choudhary, Shri Pushpendra Saroj

## 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 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
- (c) whether any centrally supported clerkship/fellowship or 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 fifteen

State  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                         |              326 |

| 25   | 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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