The Supreme Court directed all State Governments, Union Territories and High Courts to comply with its mandate to provide exclusive bar rooms and basic amenities, including washrooms, for women advocates.

It was also observed that the requirement of additional funds or land cannot be a ground for non-compliance. 

The Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana ordered, "We have also impressed upon the learned Attorney General, the Advocates General of all these States and the standing counsel for the Union Territories to submit their progress reports to the office of the learned Attorney General for India, to enable him to compile and submit the same before this Court...It goes without saying that the pattern of basic amenities and facilities should preferably be uniform in all the States...The learned Senior Counsel for the petitioners, as well as the interveners, shall also be at liberty to give their suggestions to the learned Attorney General for India. If any such suggestions pertain to a particular State, we request the learned Attorney General to forward the same to the Advocate General concerned, who shall then take up the matter with the State Government and ensure the necessary compliance."


Attorney General R. Venkataramani appeared for the Union of India

Previously, the Court took serious note of the deplorable lack of basic amenities for female legal professionals, issuing a series of stringent, time-bound directives to all States and Union Territories to rectify the infrastructure deficit across High Courts, district courts, and taluka courts. The Court had directed all Advocate Generals to submit a ground-level fact-finding report within two weeks, to be followed by immediate state proposals for special budget allocations.

The Court had directed that a proposal shall be put up before the States for the allocation of special funds for the construction of washrooms, where water and sanitation facilities shall also be made available.

Chief Justice Surya Kant said, “The State Governments must ensure that wherever their lady members are there, and young girls are practising, they must provide an exclusive women’s bar room with all facilities. This is the mandate; we don’t want to deviate from it, and it has to be complied with, whether you require additional funds, whether you require additional land, whatever is required to be done. So that mandate must be understood very well. We are only at the stage of execution of that. So there is nothing we are not going to accept, whether it is in Calcutta or elsewhere. If there is no bar room, they must create it. It is not a justification that there is no bar room.”

The Counsel for the Petitioner submitted that even in the 16–17 affidavits that have been filed, many of them have clearly stated that in a majority of their district court complexes there are no toilets or washrooms for women advocates.

In compliance with the previous orders passed by the Court, 16 States and High Courts have filed compliance reports. It was noted by the Court that some more High Courts and Union Territories have also come up with their status reports and compliance affidavits.

The Attorney General for India stated that he is in constant touch with the various States through their Advocates General and standing counsel. He proposed to place on record a comprehensive report, based upon a compilation of the information furnished by the State Governments, Union Territories and High Courts.

The Court said, "Every State Government, Union Territory and High Court is obligated to provide the members of the Bar with basic amenities in terms of the directions already issued by this Court."

Accordingly, the Court listed the matter after four weeks.

Cause Title: Sarika Tyagi v. Union of India & Ors. [W.P.(C) No. 770/2026]

Tags: