. The recent appointments of three female judges to the top court, and reports that one of them – Justice BV Nagarathna – could one day become India’s first female chief justice, is being hailed as a “historic moment”.
State of Women Representation in Judiciary
Women Representation in Supreme Court: The firstever woman judge (Justice Fatheema Beevi) in the Supreme Court (SC) was appointed in 1989, 39 years after the apex court came into existence.
Women Representation in High Courts: The share of women judges in High Courts (HCs) was no better. Overall, women judges account for only 11% of HC judges..
Women Representation in District Courts: Women’s representation in the judiciary is slightly better in the lower courts where 28% of the judges were women as of 2017. However, it was lower than 20% in Bihar, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
Significance of High Women representation
Motivates More Women to Seek Justice: Higher numbers, and greater visibility, of women judges can increase the willingness of women to seek justice and enforce their rights through the courts. Though not true in all cases, having a judge who is the same gender as litigant, can play a role in setting the litigant’s mind at ease.
Different Point of Views: It is definitely valuable to have representation of various marginalities in the judiciary because of their different lived experiences. Diversity on the bench would definitely bring in alternative and inclusive perspectives to statutory interpretations.
Increase Judicial Reasoning: Increased judicial diversity enriches and strengthens the ability of judicial reasoning to encompass and respond to varied social contexts and experiences.
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