Supreme Court and High Courts Contend Insufficient Representation of Female Judges; Advises Chief Justice to Implement Corrective Measures

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has voiced its concern over the low representation of women judges in the higher judiciary of India. The resolution, led by SCBA President Vikas Singh, emphasizes the need for greater gender balance on the Supreme Court Bench and in the High Courts.

Currently, out of the 1,100 High Court judgeships sanctioned across the country, only 103 are occupied by women, with 670 filled by men. The resolution states that a greater gender balance is essential for ensuring fair and equal representation, strengthening public confidence, enriching judicial perspectives, and reflecting societal diversity in the highest institution of justice.

Several High Courts, including Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Manipur, currently have no women judges at all. Furthermore, it has been over a year since a woman judge was last appointed to the Supreme Court of India, and at present, only one woman judge is serving on the Supreme Court's Bench.

In light of this, the resolution strongly expresses disappointment that the recent round of appointments to the Supreme Court did not include a single woman. To address this issue, Mr. Singh wrote letters to the Chief Justice of India on May 24 and July 18, advocating for proportional representation of women in judicial appointments.

The resolution calls upon the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium to give urgent and due consideration to the appointment and elevation of more women judges in the forthcoming round of appointments, both to the Supreme Court and High Courts. The SCBA hopes that these actions will help to create a more balanced and diverse judiciary, better reflecting the diversity of the Indian population.

Supreme Court and High Courts Contend Insufficient Representation of Female Judges; Advises Chief Justice to Implement Corrective Measures