CJI NV Ramana calls for a 50% reservation for the Judicial system.

CJI NV Ramana on 26 Sept called for 50% reservation for women in the Judiciary.

Stating thousands of years of oppression, Chief Justice NV Ramana called for Women reservation in the Judiciary. He also mentioned similar measures in law colleges across the country. 

It all happened in a felicitation ceremony held by woman advocates for him and the freshly nine designated Judges.

The speech of CJI NV Ramana at the event denoted the Reservation policy as a right rather than charity. 

Chief Justice NV Ramana’s Speech 

In the speech, he also pronounced some numerical facts for the number of women Judges in the whole legal system.

He described less than 30% of Judges are women in the lower levels of the Judiciary, 11.5% in the High court, 11-12% in the Supreme Court. Out of 1.7 million advocates, 15 % are women, whereas only 2% of elected representatives are women in the state bar council.

He also asserted that clients preferred only male advocates as discomfort in courtrooms, crowdedness deters women entry.

He informed that once he even raised the issue of the Bar Council of India National Committee of not intending the inclusion of a single woman representative and continued to remark all the problems which needed urgent rectification. 

Quoting of Karl Max talks were also used in the meet that “workers of the World unite, you have nothing to lose, but your chains” replacing workers with women, CJI referred the existence of gender disparity in past.

Highlighting other dilemmas of women lawyers regarding their work environment to lack of infrastructures like creches for working mothers and female washrooms.

Being the second time constructing the same issue of women representation, the Bar Council of India, after 75 years of Independence, expect at least 50% at all law levels with the actual value achieved with great difficulty of 11% in the Supreme Court.

In addition, some regions might show a high level of proportion, but the factual status of the whole remains to welcome women in the legal profession.

Justice Nagarthna comment

Justice Nagarthna, one of the sworn judges of the top court, along with two other women, would be sharing the CJI designation of a 1-month duration in 2027. 

She referred to this initiative to act as a helping hand to reduce gender disparity in other areas.

In an interview, she also said that the higher-level female judicial appointments would significantly substitute gender stereotypes in society, intending to change attitude and perception.

She also shared that the time has arrived to break the glass ceiling and strive ahead, commenting on gender discrimination for women advocates. 

Timeline of Women in the Judiciary

The moment of swearing of three women in Supreme Court as Judges was touted by many as “memorable”, made the number of woman judges to four.

The four judges are still only seen to be a fractional value of the sanctioned strength of 34, including the Chief Justice.

Over the last odd 70 years, this value seems only been 8, starting with M Fathima Beevi in 1989. 

The present numeric value includes Justice Indira Banerjee, Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Nagarathna.