CJI NV Ramana on Sunday urged all the women lawyers to shout with anger to demand 50% reservation in the judiciary, not as charity but as a matter of right and assured them of his full support.
“Enough of suppression of thousands of years. I don’t want you to cry but with anger, you have to shout and demand that we need 50 percent reservation. It’s a matter of right, and not a matter a charity,” he said.
CJI asked the women lawyers to stand for their rights and urged to increase gender diversity in the Indian judiciary while addressing the felicitation function organized by Supreme Court advocates for newly appointed judges. He mentioned that women constitute only 30% of the lower judiciary.
“In High Courts, women judges constitute 11.5%. Here in the Supreme Court, we currently have four women justices out of the sitting 33. That makes it just 12%. Of the 1.7 million advocates, only 15% are women. Only 2% of the elected representatives in the State Bar Councils are women. No woman member in the Bar Council of India.” CJI said.
CJI Quoted Karl Marx
Modifying Karl Marx’s quote “Workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chain”, CJI said,” “Women of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chain.”
Need To Maintain Inclusive Environment
“I do agree that there is an uncomfortable environment, lack of infrastructure, crowded courtrooms, lack of washrooms, lack of creches and lack of sitting places, which are some of the major issues which are unfriendly to the women lawyers in the system,” CJI said.
He added, “In 6,000 courts across the country, 22 percent of them do not have separate toilets (for women) and even lady officers also have to suffer from this. So these are the ground realities which we have to tackle immediately and that is the reason why I am proposing certain issues to the executive to take and correct this.”
Be A Role Model For Others
“All my sisters and all of you have carved out exceptions for people in the society and women of the society and for that matter youngsters whether male or female are all waiting and looking at you as if you are role models. Your success stories will make them more impulsive and we expect more women will join the profession and we will achieve the goal of 50 per cent shortly. I wholeheartedly support all initiatives taken by you and so long as I am here I will support all of your causes,” CJI Ramana said.
