Out of 221 names suggested for High Court judges since November 2022, 29 are still waiting for the Centre’s approval. SC/ST got only 4% posts, while minorities got 14%, showing a big gap.
In a democratic country like India, every community should get fair representation in all public offices. The judiciary is one of the most respected institutions, and it is expected to follow both fairness and inclusiveness.
A new report about “Details of Collegium Decisions (Nov 2022 – Nov 2024)” shows how many judges have been recommended and selected in the last two years, and it also shows how much diversity is present in these appointments.
One of the biggest issues that stands out is that the representation of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) is much lower than that of minorities, even though SC/STs form a bigger part of India’s population.
Also Read: 221 Names Recommended for HC Judges Since Nov 2022, 29 Still Pending with Centre
As per the data, a total of 303 judges were recommended between November 2022 and November 2024. Out of these, 170 judges were recommended during the tenure of CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, and 51 judges were recommended so far under the new Chief Justice, Sanjiv Khanna. Some recommendations are still pending with the Central Government.
This report also shows how many people from different communities and backgrounds were included in the first batch of 170 approved appointments. Here is a simple breakdown:
- Women: 28 judges (around 9.24%)
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 7 judges (around 2.31%)
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 5 judges (around 1.65%)
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): 21 judges (around 6.93%)
- Most Backward / Backward Class (MBC/BC): 7 judges (around 2.31%)
- Minority communities: 23 judges (around 7.59%)
- Related to High Court or Supreme Court judges: 12 judges (around 3.96%)
This clearly shows that SC/ST representation is almost half of the minority representation. This is surprising because SC/STs together make up about 25% of India’s population, whereas minorities (including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, and others) account for about 20%.
Still, SC/ST communities are not getting enough space in one of the most powerful institutions of the country the judiciary.
Among all High Courts, Madras High Court had the most number of new appointments with more than 20 judges. Other High Courts like Allahabad, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Bombay also had many new appointments.
The report says that the average time taken between the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation and the government’s final appointment is usually 2 to 4 months. However, in some cases, it was delayed by many more months.
For example, the appointment of Somasekhar Sundaresan to Bombay High Court faced a long delay of nearly 10 months. This might have been due to “objections or scrutiny.”
Judges with Family in the Judiciary:
Another important point is that at least 12 judges appointed during this period have close relatives in the judiciary. These family members include fathers, brothers, or in-laws who are either currently or previously judges of High Courts or the Supreme Court.
This brings attention to the issue of nepotism and the influence of family legacy in judicial appointments.
Women Representation:
Only 28 women were appointed as judges out of the 303, which is less than 10%. This number is quite low considering the goal of gender equality. However, some High Courts such as Delhi, Madras, and Kerala have done better in appointing women judges.
Representation of Minority Communities:
The report also highlights that at least 23 judges belong to minority communities. These include both men and women from Muslim, Christian, and Parsi backgrounds.
The publication of this data by the Supreme Court Collegium shows a strong step towards better “transparency.” The report says that from now on, details like category of the candidate (SC, ST, OBC, Women, Minority, or family relation with judges) will be “officially tracked.”
Still, the report points out that there are delays in final appointments. This shows that there is still some friction between the judiciary and the executive.
This report gives a clear picture of how inclusive the judicial appointments have been in the last two years. While some progress is visible in terms of gender and minority inclusion, the numbers are still very low compared to India’s overall population.
Also, the data confirms that family connections still play a strong role in getting selected, which raises serious questions on merit and fairness. As India moves ahead, the hope is that the judiciary will become more diverse, transparent, and representative of all sections of society.
Even though the judiciary has taken steps to publish data and include some underrepresented groups, the reality is that SC and ST communities are still not getting fair chances. With only 4% representation, compared to almost 8% for minorities, this report makes it clear that there is still a long way to go.