'It's Your Right': CJI Ramana Backs 50% Reservation for Women in Judiciary

"Of 1.7 million advocates in the country... only 15 per cent are women," said the Chief Justice of India.

File image of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana.

(Photo: The Quint)

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana insisted on 50 percent reservation for women in the judiciary on Sunday, 26 September. He encouraged similar demands of reservation in law colleges across the country.

CJI Ramana made these remarks in a felicitation ceremony organised by women advocates of Supreme Court for him and nine newly appointed judges.

"It is your right... you are entitled to demand that (reservation in the judiciary and law institutions)," said CJI Ramana while addressing the ceremony, reported NDTV.

While observing Daughter's Day, he mentioned his continuous efforts of resolving the infrastructural issues, even forcing executives to make necessary changes.

After the event organised by the Bar Council of India, this is the second time that Chief Justice has brought the issue of women's representation in Indian judiciary.

"We need 50 percent reservation for women in judiciary... It is an issue of thousands of years of oppression. In lower levels of the judiciary, less than 30 percent of judges are women... in high courts it is 11.5 percent... in Supreme Court only 11-12 percent are women."

Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana

CJI further added that only 15 percent out of 1.7 million advocates in India are women and only 2 percent elected representatives in state bar council are women.

"I raised the issue of why the Bar Council of the India National Committee does not even have a single woman representative...," he continued while demanding for urgent corrective measures, the news website reported.

He underscored "unfriendly" challenges to women advocates including infrastructural deterrents like lack of female washrooms, creches for working mothers and disagreeable working environment.

Over the last 70 years, there have been only 8 Supreme Court judges, beginning with M Fathima Beevi in 1989.

Taking the total number to four, three women were sworn in as Supreme Court judges on 1 September. Justice Nagarathna is set to become India's first woman Chief Justice in 2027 for a brief period of one month.

(With inputs from NDTV)