Justice BV Nagarathna Could Be India's First Woman Chief Justice

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

Led by Chief Justice NV Ramana, the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of nine judges for the elevation to the top court.

Justice BV Nagarathna, who is presently a judge with the Karnataka High Court, has also been recommended by the Collegium. She was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka in 2008 and as a permanent judge nearly two years later.

She is likely to have a month-long tenure. Her appointment will be a historic moment for the country's judiciary. She will be following in the footsteps of her father ES Venkataramiah, who was the Chief Justice of India between June 1989 and December 1989.

One of the key comments by Justice Nagarathna made during her recent court hearings is: "India's patriarchal society doesn't know how to treat empowered women."

Earlier this year, while hearing a case on mid-day meals, Justice Nagarathna said: "Nobody can study on a hungry stomach."

In July, a division bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Hanchate Sanjeevkumar, observed: "There may be illegitimate parents but there can never be illegitimate children."

Justice Hima Kohi and Justice Bela Trivedi are the other two women judges in the list of recommendations by the Collegium. 

Justice Hima Kohli became the first woman to hold the post of Chief Justice of Telangana High Court in January. She has also served as a judge in the Delhi High Court in 2006. 

Justice Bela Trivedi is presently a judge in the Gujarat High Court. In May, she criticised the Gujarat government over fire at a Covid hospital that killed 18 people. It "amounts to the contemptuous action on the part of the state for not being vigilant so that such incidents are not repeated again and again," she had told the government. 

There have been demands for India to have a woman Chief Justice.

Ahead of his retirement, former Chief Justice of India SA Bobde had said that "the time has come for India to have a woman Chief Justice".

"We have the interest of women in our minds, and we are implementing it best. There is no attitude change in us. The only thing is we have to get good candidates," he had said in April.

Chief Justice Ramana has also said earlier that it's time for a woman to head the judiciary.

Senior Advocate and former Additional Solicitor General PS Narasimha will also be a Supreme Court Judge.

Other judges who have been recommended by the five-member Collegium are Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice JK Maheshwari, Justice CT Ravikumar and Justice MM Sundresh.