SCBA flags low number of women judges in Supreme Court, High Courts; urges CJI to take corrective steps

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Saturday passed a resolution recording its “grave concern” over the disproportionately low representation of women judges in the higher judiciary.

The resolution, adopted by the SCBA Executive Committee led by President Vikas Singh, pointed out that across the country, nearly 1,100 High Court judgeships are sanctioned, but while about 670 are occupied by men, only 103 are held by women.

It also highlighted that several High Courts including Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur currently have no women judges at all.

The Bar body expressed “strong disappointment” that the recent round of appointments to the Supreme Court did not include a single woman from either the Bar or the Bench. The resolution noted that no woman judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court since 2021, and at present, only one woman judge is serving on its Bench.

The resolution also pointed out that President Vikas Singh had written to the Chief Justice of India on May 24 and July 18 this year, pressing for proportional representation of women in judicial appointments.

"Greater gender balance on the Bench is essential not only for ensuring fair and equal representation but also for strengthening public confidence in the judiciary, enriching judicial perspectives, and reflecting the diversity of our society in the highest institution of justice," the resolution said.

The resolution concluded with a call to the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium to give urgent and due consideration to the appointment and elevation of more women judges in the forthcoming round of appointments, both to the Supreme Court and High Courts.