Jayna Kothari highlighted the severe underrepresentation of women in India’s judiciary. Since 2021, the Supreme Court has appointed 28 new judges, but none of them have been women. The last woman judge appointed was Justice Hima Kohli in 2021.
Bengaluru: Former Supreme Court judge, Justice Indira Banerjee, emphasized the urgent need for a complete shift in mindset to enable more women to rise to higher positions in the judiciary. She shared her insights during a fireside chat on Saturday with Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR).
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Jayna Kothari highlighted the severe underrepresentation of women in India’s judiciary. Since 2021, the Supreme Court has appointed 28 new judges, but none of them have been women. The last woman judge appointed was Justice Hima Kohli in 2021.
She stressed,
“The lack of female representation in the country’s highest court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, is concerning.”
The situation in India’s high courts is similarly worrying. Only 14.42% of judges across all high courts are women. While some states like Telangana have made progress with 10 women judges currently serving in the Telangana High Court, other states continue to lag behind.
Kothari also pointed out the lack of available data regarding the representation of women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the judiciary. Historically, only eight Muslim women have been appointed as judges across all high courts.
Justice Indira Banerjee shared her own experiences of discrimination in the legal profession.
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She recalled that
“at least four senior lawyers had refused to take women into their chambers,” highlighting the biases that women face in accessing mentorship.
She said, “I have felt some discrimination. Unless you are very assertive, you tend to get a little cornered. They are nice to you, they are courteous, they accept you as an equal — but they are condescending.”
Justice Banerjee emphasized the need for a change in thinking.
“Treating women differently due to an innate belief is part of the mindset. There has to be a change in thinking among both men and women. Many women themselves are hesitant,”
she added.
She also underscored the importance of gender equality in upbringing and education. “Leave it to them to make their choice. As more women practice law, you’ll have more women to select as judges,” Justice Banerjee stated.
