Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Sunday said that there should be greater participation of women in the higher judiciary and emphasised the need for a more inclusive legal profession. He underscored the importance of increased engagement with members of underprivileged and marginalised communities. Speaking at an event celebrating Bhimrao Ambedkar's 100 years of legal practice, the Chief Justice appealed to the legal community to support Ambedkar's vision of equality in all spheres of life.
The Chief Justice of India urged judges from the Supreme Court, high courts, and senior advocates to contemplate ways to enhance inclusivity within the legal profession.
Highlighting that individuals from marginalised communities may not be proficient in English, the Chief Justice of India discussed the Common Law Admission Tests (CLAT), emphasising that it is exclusively administered in English.
"The CLAT examination, a crucial gateway to the legal profession, is conducted entirely in English. By using English as the medium of examination, we are essentially favouring an urban-centric approach and creating a significant bias against individuals from rural or marginalised backgrounds," said the Chief Justice.
In this matter, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) awaits resolution in the Delhi High Court, advocating for the administration of the CLAT in regional languages. The Bar Council of India has recently endorsed the idea of conducting the CLAT in regional languages and has offered to organise the test. Additionally, the National Testing Agency has informed the High Court that it can conduct the CLAT in regional languages.
Additionally, CJI Chandrachud condemned the biased practice of only selecting clerks from national law schools and detailed the preparation, submission, and implementation of a white paper aimed at reorienting the clerkship programme. He also discussed the joint efforts of the Supreme Court and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to introduce structured and modulated internship programs. These programmes were designed to address concerns expressed by the NCST regarding the lack of activities available to students from tribal communities.
