2 women make it to Pune Bar Association panel

For the first time in the history of the Pune Bar Association (PBA), two women candidates have been elected on its executive
committee.

Advocates Vaishali Padmakar Nikumbh and Rupali Balkrushna Hagawane became the first women candidates to get elected as committee members of the bar association on Tuesday.

The PBA had reserved two of the 10 seats for women candidates in the PBA executive committee elections that were held recently. Only two applications were filed by Nikumbh and Hagawane and they were elected unopposed.

Speaking to DNA, both the lawyers said, “Now we will be able to focus on various issues related to women advocates.” Nikumbh said that women advocates face space crunch as only two bar rooms have been allotted for them. “Our main focus will be to make proper seating arrangement for women lawyers,” she said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Hagawane said that most of the women lawyers have been getting drinking water from their homes as the bar rooms don’t have any drinking water facility. “We will try to install a tap in the women’s bar room and also try to resolve other issues related to court visitors,” she said.