The Chief Justice On Why We Can't Have More Women Judges

During a three-day international conference, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud spoke about inclusivity and diversity in the legal profession. During his keynote speech, the Chief Justice discussed "Why can't we have more women judges?"

In India, only 11.5 percent of judges in high courts are women. Furthermore, out of the 33 judges now serving on the Supreme Court, only four are women. Here's what Chief Justice Chandrachud had to say.

CJI DY Chandrachud On Lack Of Women Judges

The Chief Justice claimed that he frequently gets the question, ‘Why we can't have more women judges in the Supreme Court than we have, why can't we have more high court judges from among the women we have,’ on numerous occasions. To answer this, he stated a few harsh realities which cannot be overlooked.

According to him, recruitment to the court frequently occurs through the district judiciary, and recent figures show that between 50 and 60 percent of new recruits in several states are females. The Chief Justice linked this development to the growth of education in India and the middle class's rising belief that educating daughters is the way to success.

He emphasised the significance of establishing the circumstances of dignity for every person recruited while also expressing worry about making sure these women were not disregarded or neglected. He also said that women are impacted by the infrastructure problems the courts face.

Chief Justice Chandrachud also talked about how India's Constitution reflects the idea of globalisation, which he characterised as the fusion of local and international beliefs and practices. He further stated that the impact of terrorist attacks, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic that forced countries to close their borders, and the rise of inequality around the world have all increased because of globalisation. As a result, only a quarter of the community benefits from globalisation, while the rest suffer due to it.

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