1. Home
2. India

CJI Ramana backs demand for 50% reservation for women in judiciary

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 9/27/2021 1:38:23 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana called for 50 per cent reservation for women in all levels of the judiciary and also demanded reservation across all law colleges in the country. He was speaking at an event, organised by the Lady Advocates of Supreme Court on Sunday, in honour of the nine newly appointed judges. The Chief Justice said that after thousands of years of oppression, women need 50 per cent reservation in the judiciary. He informed that in lower levels, women's representation was below 30 per cent. In High Courts and in the Supreme Court, it is around 11-12 per cent, he said. "There is a need to strongly recommend supporting the demand for some percentage reservation in all law schools in the country," CJI NV Ramana said while addressing the women lawyers of the Supreme Court. "It's a women's right. And they deserve to have it," he added. CJI NV Ramana modified Karl Marx's 'Workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chain' quote for the occasion and said, "Women of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chain." He added, “You all are laughing. Yes, I don't want you to cry but with anger, you have to shout and demand that we need 50 per cent reservation. It's not a small issue but an issue of thousands of years of suppression. It is high time we have 50 per cent representation of women in the judiciary. You are entitled (to it), it's a matter of right. It is not a matter a charity. It is unfortunate that some things are realised very late." CJI NV Ramana further said that people will often say easily that it is difficult to have 50 per cent reservation because women have a lot of problems but that's not correct. “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,” he said. “In 6,000 courts across the country, 22 per cent of them do not have separate toilets (for women) and even lady officers also have to suffer from this,” the CJI said, adding, “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." The CJI also informed that the Supreme Court was considering the possibility of resuming direct hearings in courtrooms. He said that the court was more worried about the health of the lawyers and was, thus, keeping a track of medical guidelines related to the Covid-19 pandemic. "Because, in the courtroom, the judges sit behind the partition on the docks, but the lawyers will be at the front together. That is why we are more concerned about the health and safety of the lawyers than the judges," the Chief Justice said.