The Supreme Court Bar Association has urged the Chief Justice of India to act on the low number of women judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts, stressing that greater gender balance on the Bench is essential for justice.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) adopted a resolution expressing its “grave concern” regarding the significantly low representation of women judges in the higher judiciary.
The resolution, led by SCBA President Vikas Singh, highlighted that out of nearly 1,100 sanctioned High Court judgeships nationwide, around 670 are held by men, with only 103 occupied by women.
It also pointed out that certain High Courts, including Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Manipur, currently have no women judges.
The Bar Association voiced its “strong disappointment” over the recent Supreme Court appointments, which did not include any women from either the Bar or the Bench.
It noted that since 2021, there has been no new woman judge appointed to the Supreme Court, and currently, only one woman serves on its Bench.
Furthermore, the resolution mentioned that President Vikas Singh had previously written to the Chief Justice of India on May 24 and July 18 of this year, advocating for proportional representation of women in judicial appointments.
The resolution stated,
“Greater gender balance on the Bench is essential not only for ensuring fair and equal representation but also for strengthening public confidence in the judiciary, enriching judicial perspectives, and reflecting the diversity of our society in the highest institution of justice,”
In conclusion, the resolution urged the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium to urgently consider the appointment and elevation of more women judges in the upcoming rounds of appointments to both the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Earlier, Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, in a post on X, questioned why the President of the SCBA had not raised concerns over the non-appointment of women judges to the Supreme Court, pointing out that 28 male judges had been appointed since 2021 with no woman judge.
Her remarks triggered a wider debate on gender equality in the judicial system and highlighted the urgent need for proactive measures to ensure balanced representation in appointments to the Supreme Court.
Earlier, 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.