Closing the gender gap in the higher judiciary, Pg 7

Key Highlights

Gender Imbalance in Higher Judiciary

• Women’s representation in High Courts is only 14.27% (109 out of 765 judges).
• Several High Courts (Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Tripura) have no women judges.
• Allahabad HC: Largest in India with *79 judges, but only 3 women (2%).
• Supreme Court: With Justice Bela Trivedi retiring in 2025, only one woman judge will remain.
• Over the last 75 years, SC has elevated 28 male judges from Bar but only one woman.

Systemic Barriers & Challenges

• Opaque collegium system lacks clear merit-based criteria for women’s elevation.
• Even when women are recommended for appointment, many are rejected by the government.
• Seniority bias and deep-rooted gender stereotypes hinder women’s judicial rise.

Need for Judicial Reforms & Diversity

• Transparent appointment process: Clear criteria for merit and application-based selection.
• Diversity & merit should co-exist to make judiciary more inclusive and representative.
• State-wise and caste-based representation must be considered in judicial appointments.
• One-third of higher judiciary should ideally be women to ensure balanced judgments.

Analysis & Way Forward

• Reforming the collegium system with gender-sensitive criteria is essential.
• Ensuring equal opportunities in judicial promotions will strengthen the credibility of courts.
• Gender balance in constitutional courts is crucial to upholding justice, merit, and diversity.

Mains Mock Question:

"Critically analyze the gender gap in India's higher judiciary. Suggest judicial reforms to enhance women's representation in the Supreme Court and High Courts."