This story is from March 10, 2022

SC to celebrate international day of women judges

SC to celebrate international day of women judges
The Supreme Court will celebrate the first ever 'International Day of Women Judges' on Thursday
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will celebrate the first ever 'International Day of Women Judges' on Thursday with CJI NV Ramana and four women SC judges connecting online with all women judges of the high courts and the women judicial officers of the country.
The SC in an official note said that along with CJI, the women SC judges - Justices Indira Banerjee, Hima Kohli, BV Nagarathna and Bela M Trivedi - will interact with women judges of the HCs and women judicial officers of the trial courts online to celebrate the event.
1x1 polls

On April 28 last year, the United Nations General Assembly had resolved to proclaim 10 March of each year as the ‘International Day of Women Judges’ and called upon the Member States to observe the same, ‘in order to promote the full and equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary’. The resolution moved to this effect by Qatar in the UN General Assembly was sponsored by India, among others.
Except for symbolism, there is little to cheer for the women judges as their percentage in constitutional courts and in the trial courts remain abysmal. It contrasts with CJI Ramana's desire to see India having women judges occupying 50% of the posts in each of the three-tier justice delivery system.
In the 72-year-old history of the Supreme Court, which has seen appointment of a total of 256 Judges till date, only 11 are women. It took the government 39 years to appoint Fathima Beevi as the first woman SC Judge. And it was for the first time last year during the tenure of Justice Ramana as CJI that the SC saw appointment of three women SC judges in Justices Kohli, Nagarathna and Trivedi. It is ironic that the country would have to wait for 77 years to get its first woman CJI in Justice Nagarathna in September 2027.
In the High Courts, the women judges barely constitute 10% of the existing strength of Judges. And in the trial courts, the women judicial officers constitute 30% of the working strength of over 24,000. Vacancies in judges posts continue to plague both the HCs and the trial courts, with the HCs having almost 40% of posts vacant and around 17% posts of judicial officers lying vacant.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA