HC allows mom’s name in Bar Council enrolment form
Times of India | 27 August 2025
Kolkata: The Bar Council of West Bengal shall not reject any enrolment form that mentions the name of the mother instead of the father's or husband's, Calcutta High Court held on Aug 20 while hearing a PIL filed by a 31-year-old advocate, Mrinalini Majumdar.
The counsel representing the council, Prasun Kr Datta, informed the division bench of justices Sujoy Paul and Smita Das De that although the prescribed form for enrolment and the ID card issued by the Bar Council required the name of the father/husband, if any candidate prefers to apply by mentioning the name of the mother, it shall not be rejected by the Bar Council on that account.
Majumdar was also directed to re-submit her representation before the Bar Council for it to be considered. She was represented by senior advocate Phiroze Edulji. The Bar Council was directed to reconsider the representation within 90 days. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataTaking this submission into account, the HC observed, "...
we hope and trust that in their next meeting of the appropriate forum, they will take an appropriate decision to regularise the same in the prescribed form and identity card also.
" Additionally, the council was asked to look into the aspect where a candidate is an orphan or not in a position to disclose a parent's name.
The PIL stated the continuing depiction of patriarchy in today's age, where the enrolment and identity card of the state bar council only asked for the candidate's father or husband details for identification, with no space for one's mother's identity. "Thus it only goes to suggest that the sole yardstick for enrolling oneself as an advocate lies on the candidate's paternal guardianship or marital status…" the petition stated.