Gender balance in judiciary still unfinished: CJI

NEW DELHI: With only 1 in 33 judges in the standard system and around 15% of judges in high courts being women, CJI Surya Kant acknowledged on International Women’s Day that fair and equal participation in the judiciary remains an unfinished task and called on the high court college to consider including more women as judges.Out of a total staff of 781 judges in 25 district courts, the number of female judges is only 116. Over the years, the total number of female judges appointed by local courts is 5,161, of which 291 are female judges, accounting for only 5.6%. Since September 2021, no female judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court.The CJI, while speaking on ‘Half a Nation, Half a Judge’ at an event organized by the SC, said women judges do not bring different standards of justice but they do bring a unique perspective and diversity. He said the agency must address the concerns of the country’s 650 million women and give them confidence that the justice system understands reality and will respond to them fairly. He said that institutional intention is not enough and should also be supplemented by institutional imagination to achieve goals.“The HC College must realize that the time for prudent action is not in the future but now… When there are suitable and meritorious women members of the Bar, their consideration should not be the exception but the norm,” the CJI said.He stressed the need to expand the scope of consideration for judicial appointments and urged the Judiciary Council not to reject candidates simply because they do not strictly meet age requirements. “In some HCs, if suitable female candidates within a certain age limit are not immediately available, this should not be a hindrance,” he said.Justice Conde said questions about the adequacy of female representation were being addressed, but more was needed. Currently, there are two female chief justices on the Supreme Court, and with the promotion of Justice Lisa Gill, that number will rise to three, he said. He mentioned the Punjab and Haryana HC, which has 18 sitting women judges.“Every woman on the bench sends a clear message to those who still face obstacles that your persistence is not invisible and not in vain,” he said.