Chief Justice Was Asked Why We Can't Have More Women Judges. His Answer

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud today said a wider coverage of education for women will lead to betterment of society and in every field, including the legal profession.

At an event in Delhi on law in the age of globalisation, Chief Justice Chandrachud said he is often asked how the number of women law professionals can be increased.

"I am often asked about why we can't have more women judges in the Supreme Court than we have, why can't we have more high court judges from among the women we have. And the answer is not simple, the answer is a little complex. And I hope it has a gem of truth," the Chief Justice said.

"The seeds of our institutions today in terms of inclusion, diversity reflect the state of the profession, say two decades ago. Because the judges who come to the high court today, in 2023, the judges who come to the Supreme Court in 2023, reflect the state of the bar in the beginning of the millennium," he said.

Unless there was a level-playing field for women to enter and thrive in the legal profession between the year 2000 and 2023, there is "no magic wand by which you will have Supreme Court judges drawn from among women in 2023", Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

"So we have to create a framework, a groundwork for a more diverse and inclusive profession today if we truly have to create a future where our profession will be more inclusive and diverse," he said.

The Chief Justice said statistics on recent recruitment in the district judiciary in India indicates that in many states, more than 50 per cent are women. He said the cause of that is the spread of education in India.

"As education spread in India, women education has gone up and there is today a perception on the part of middle class, the growing middle class in India, that the key to prosperity of an average Indian family is to educate their daughters," he said.

Justice BV Nagarathna is in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027.