Supreme Court Criticizes UP's Colonial Practice of Appointing Bureaucrats' Spouses to Ex-Officio Positions

Nov 25, 2025 11:32 pm CST

The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to amend laws within two months that allow bureaucrats' wives to automatically become ex-officio presidents of cooperative societies and women's groups. The court criticized this "colonial-era mindset" as undemocratic and outdated, requiring reforms to ensure leadership positions are filled through proper democratic processes rather than by designation.