Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Sunday called for 50% representation of women in the judiciary and supported the demand to increase ge...
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Sunday called for 50% representation of women in the judiciary and supported the demand to increase gender diversity in legal education, Bar and Bench reported.
“Enough of suppression of thousands of years,” the chief justice said. “It is high time we have 50% representation of women in judiciary. It is your right. It is not a matter of charity.”
Addressing women judges and advocates of the Supreme Court at an event organised to felicitate him and the nine newly appointed top court judges, Ramana pointed out that women constitute only about 30% of the lower judiciary.
“In High Courts, women judges constitute 11.5%,” he added. “Here in the Supreme Court, we currently have four 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.”
The chief justice said these matters need “urgent correction” and exhorted women to “shout with anger and demand 50% reservation” for themselves in judiciary, Live Law reported.
He also paraphrased German philosopher Karl Marx and said, “Women of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.”
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