cji-writes-to-hcs-urges-to-bring-in-more-women-judges

In what can be seen his big push for wider representation of women as judges in India, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has written to the chief justices of all 25 high courts, calling for urgent action to fill mounting judicial vacancies and urging them to prioritise the elevation of women judges as part of a broader move for diversity on constitutional benches.

 

 

In a letter sent last week, the CJI highlighted the scale of vacancies across the higher judiciary and stressed the need for high court collegiums to expedite recommendations, not just for existing posts but also for those likely to arise in the near future.

 

According to data placed before Parliament by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, 309 positions (27.5%) remain vacant in high courts against a sanctioned strength of 1,122 judges as of February 10, underscoring the urgency flagged by the CJI. The communication underlined that the appointments process, requiring inputs from the state government, Intelligence Bureau, Supreme Court collegium and the Union government, is inherently time-consuming, making early initiation by high courts critical.

 

 

Sources familiar with the development confirmed that after the letter, most courts have responded in the affirmative. The letter, sent last week, comes at a time when representation of women in the higher judiciary remains low. Data placed before parliament revealed that only 116 of the 813 working High Court judges are women, accounting for 14.27 per cent of the total strength.

 

The Supreme Court currently has just one woman judge.The CJI is understood to have emphasised that suitable women members of the Bar should not be treated as exceptions when it comes to elevation.At the district judiciary level, women constitute around 36.3 per cent of the working strength, indicating a wider pool at the entry level. However, this representation does not translate proportionately to appointments in the High Courts and the Supreme Court.

 

The communication follows recent remarks by CJI Kant on the need to improve gender diversity on the Bench.Earlier this month, he had cautioned that if the “pipeline is narrow at source, the Bench cannot later be broad”.

 

 

As of early 2026, female representation in the Indian judiciary is low but increasing, with only 11 women having served as Supreme Court judges in 73 years. Justice Fathima Beevi was the first female Supreme Court judge (1989), and Justice B.V. Nagarathna is set to become the first female Chief Justice of India in 2027. Only about 11-13% of High Court judges are women.