Chief justice of India mentions equal representation of women in the Indian judiciary

Presently, the upper judiciary in India, i.e Supreme Court, and the high courts has no reservation policy for women.

‘In lower levels of the judiciary less than 30 percent of judges are female; in High Courts, it is 11.5 percent, while in the Supreme Court only 11-12 percent are females’.

Women lawyers should raise their voices “with anger” for 50 percent reservation in the judiciary, which they are entitled to, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana said Sunday as he called for “urgent correction” of the gender imbalance.

“…With anger you have to shout, demanding that you need a 50 percent reservation. It’s not a small issue. It’s (an) issue of thousands of years of suppression. You are entitled. It’s a matter of right. “It is your right. It is not a matter of charity...Enough of these thousands of years of suppression,” Chief Justice Ramana said. The CJI paraphrased Karl Marx to say, “Women of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.”

Justice Nagarathna is in line to become the first woman chief justice in September 2027. She will have a tenure of a little over a month. Justice BV Nagarathna, who was among three women sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court on September 1, praised Ramana’s comments. She could become the first woman chief justice of India in 2027. She is likely to hold the post for over a month.

She said ensuring women’s participation in the judiciary will also promote gender equality in other areas. “Women’s visibility as judicial officers can pave the way for women’s greater representation, in others decisions, making positions, such as in legislative and executive branches of the government,” Nagarathna said. She also called for a standing ovation for Ramana, who ensured the appointment of three women judges to the Supreme Court in one go. Nagarathna described the decision as an “Institutional achievement”.