Senior Advocate Indira Jaisingh criticised the Supreme Court Collegium, pointing out that since 2021, after Justices Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna, and Bela Trivedi were appointed, not a single woman has been recommended, asking, “Does wisdom lie only with men?”
Senior Advocate Indira Jaising raised concerns regarding the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation to elevate Justice Vipul Pancholi to the top court, questioning why three women judges, who are senior to him, were overlooked.
In a post on X, Jaising wrote,
“Since the appointment of Justices Hima Kohli, BV Nagarathna and Bela Trivedy in 2021, as recommended by then-CJI NV Ramana, 28 judges have been appointed under four CJIs, but not a single woman judge has been recommended.”
She emphasized the lack of female representation in the Supreme Court, which currently includes only one woman, Justice BV Nagarathna.
In another post, she noted,
“At least 3 women judges are senior to Justice Vipul Pancholi. They are Justices Sunita Agarwal, Revati Mohite Dere and Lisa Gill.”
Jaising pointed out that elevating Justice Pancholi would result in the number of judges from Gujarat increasing to three. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi for elevation to the apex court on Monday.
Justice BV Nagarathna, a member of the Supreme Court Collegium, expressed dissent against his recommendation, arguing that his appointment would not only be ‘counter-productive’ to the administration of justice but also jeopardize the credibility of the collegium system.
The collegium consists of five members: Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai, and justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and Nagarathna, who voted 4-1 in favor of the elevation.
Born on May 28, 1968, Justice Pancholi began his legal career in September 1991, practicing as an advocate in the Gujarat High Court.
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