Shocking truth: 28 judges appointed to Supreme Court since 2021, and not a single woman

Bengaluru: For more women to rise to higher positions in the judiciary, there needs to be a complete shift in mindset, former Supreme Court judge Justice Indira Banerjee said during a fireside chat on Saturday.

Justice Indira was speaking with Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR), who mentioned the glaring underrepresentation of women in the Supreme Court and high courts.

Since 2021, the Supreme Court has appointed 28 new judges — none of whom were women. The last woman judge appointed was Justice Hima Kohli in 2021, Kothari noted, emphasising the lack of female representation in the country’s highest court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

The situation in the high courts is equally concerning.

Across all high courts in India, only 14.42% of judges are women. Some states, such as Telangana, have made better progress — the Telangana High Court currently has 10 women judges — but others continue to lag behind.

Additionally, data on the representation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women judges is unavailable, and historically, only eight Muslim women judges have been appointed across all high courts.

Justice Indira's own experience in the legal profession reflects the struggles faced by women. She recalled that at least four senior lawyers had refused to take women into their chambers, highlighting the biases that often prevent women from receiving essential mentorship.

"I have felt some discrimination. Unless you are very assertive, you tend to get a little cornered. They are nice to you, they are courteous, they accept you as an equal — but they are condescending,” she said.

"Treating women differently due to an innate belief is part of the mindset. There has to be a change in thinking among both men and women. Many women themselves are hesitant," she added.

Justice Indira also stressed the importance of raising boys and girls as equals in terms of education and opportunities. "Leave it to them to make their choice. As more women practice law, you’ll have more women to select as judges,” she said.