New Delhi :

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.

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.

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.

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.

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