New Delhi : Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Tuesday said that being the head of the judicial family was “stressful”.
Speaking at a function to felicitate Supreme Court Judge Hima Kohli by ‘Women in Law and Litigation’ the CJI said, “Sister Hima Kohli inquired with concern if I am under stress. Yes, I am under stress. Being the Chief Justice is stressful. I cannot avoid. I have to deal with it.” During the function, there was a demand from women lawyers for higher representation of women beyond 50 per cent on the Bench.
Taking note of the under representation of women in judiciary, the CJI said, “I promise to take up your demand with my brothers in the collegium.” He said, “I also believe that it is essential to promote women in law and litigation. I also think that the focus should be from the very beginning — by increasing the number of girls choosing to study law after school. This is why I had recommended last time for some form of uniform policy of reservation for girls for entry into law colleges across the country.
Justice Ramana said, “Representation of women in all levels within the profession is quite low. I had mentioned some statistics in an earlier speech which I think merits repeating. Women constitute only around 30 per cent of the judges in our lower judiciary on average. Some states have a good number of women judges, whereas in other states the representation is abysmal. “In high courts, the percentage of women judges is mere 11.5 per cent. In the Supreme Court we have four sitting women judges, out of 33 in office. The situation of women lawyers in the country is not any better. Out of 1.7 million advocates registered, only 15 per cent are women,” the CJI said.
“All these issues cannot be solved in a day. Many will take years, and even generations. But it needs to be done. There can be no denying that the inclusion of women as judges and lawyers in the country will substantially improve the justice delivery system. Women can bring a different perspective to the law which will enrich the legal field,” he noted. As a person who had his education in Telugu medium till he joined law course, the CJI appealed to all women lawyers that as mothers they should encourage their children to speak in mother tongue. “This will help them think better and learn better,” he added.
