50% representation of women in judiciary a matter of right and not charity: CJI NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Sunday called for 50 percent representation of women in judiciary and stated that it was not a "matter of charity" but the "right of women.".CJI Ramana was speaking at an event organised by women lawyers of Supreme Court to felicitate the judges of the Supreme Court."Enough of suppression of thousands of years. It is high time we have 50% representation of women in judiciary. It is your right. It is not a matter of charity," he said.The CJI also referred to the oft quoted statement of Karl Marx, but with a slight modification to suit the context:"Karl Marx in different times and in a different context said: 'Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains. I am taking the liberty to modify it a bit to: 'Women of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains'.”The comments were made in the backdrop of appointment nine new judges to the top court among whom three were women. "With help of all of you, we may reach this goal (of 50 percent representation) in apex court and others court. I don't know whether I will be here or somewhere else then, but that day I will definitely be happy," he said..The CJI also highlighted certain the statistics which revealed the poor representation of women in judiciary.."Women constitute only about 30% of the lower judiciary. In High Courts, women judges constitute 11.5%. Here in the Supreme Court, we currently have 4 women justices out of the sitting 33. That makes it just 12%. Of the 1.7 million advocates, only 15% are women. Only 2% of the elected representatives in the State Bar Councils are women. No woman member in the Bar Council of India," he said."This needs urgent correction. I am also forcing the Executive for applying necessary corrective," he added..He also highlighted the difficulties faced by women lawyers entering the profession including gender stereotypes that force women to bear the brunt of family burdens. "Clients’ preference for male advocates, uncomfortable environment within Courtrooms, lack of infrastructure, crowded courtrooms, lack of washrooms for women etc. – all these deter women from entering the profession," said the CJI.The CJI also said that according to a survey, out of the nearly 6,000 trial courts, 22% have no toilet for women"In the survey I got conducted, it turned out that out of 6,000 Trial Courts nearly 22% have no toilet for women. The National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation I have proposed will ensure inclusive design of court complexes. We need to create a more welcoming environment," he underscored..The first remedial measure would be to reserve certain percentage of seats in law schools and universities for women, he opined."An important focus area is to increase gender diversity in legal education. I strongly advocate reservation of a significant percentage of seats in law schools and universities for women, as a first step. Ultimately, inclusion of women judges and lawyers will substantially improve the quality of justice delivery," the CJI said..Justice Hima Kohli who was present at the event along with other judges noted that the narrow passage which was carved by women in 1980s in the legal profession have now "become highways" and that it will only increase as "equal opportunities" are created. .[Read Live Thread]