Why Does India Have So Few Women Judges?

CJI Ramana channelled a surprising thinker as he batted for 50% women's reservation in the judiciary...

Transcript

00:00But with anger, you have to shout, demand that we need 50% reservation.

00:30Workers of the world, unite.

00:49You have nothing to lose but your chains.

00:52I will modify this, women of the world, unite.

00:57You have nothing to lose but your chains.

01:02You are laughing, yes, I don't want, we have to cry.

01:07But with anger, you have to shout, demand that we need 50% reservation.

01:16It's not a small issue, issue of thousands of years suppression.

01:23You are entitled, it's a matter of right.

01:26Nobody is going to give a charity.

01:28It is unfortunate, some things we realize very late.

01:33With the help of all of you, after some time, we may realize and reach this goal in the

01:42apex court as well as other courts.

01:47I don't know whether I will be here or somewhere, but the day I will definitely feel very happy

01:54that we achieved this goal.

01:56In the entire country, our lower judiciary, I don't want to use the word of lower judiciary,

02:01but subordinate judges and all that, less than 30%.

02:06In high courts, women judges are 11.5.

02:09Supreme Court, after four judges, out of 33, we are just around 11 or 12.

02:15Lawyers, 1.7 million advocates in the country, only 15% are women.

02:20And only 2% are elected representatives in the state bar councils.

02:24The other day, I, of course, openly have not stated with Manan Kumar, Mr. Chairman

02:28of the Bar Council, but I said that, what is this in your Bar Council National Committee?

02:33Not even one single lady representative.

02:36This needs an urgent correction.

02:40And people will say easy that we are all, it is difficult because of women had a lot

02:45of problems, et cetera, et cetera.

02:47That's not correct.

02:48I do agree that reference of clients sometimes, uncomfortable environment, lack of infrastructure,

02:55crowded courtrooms, lack of washrooms, lack of crutches, and lack of sitting places, which

03:01are the major issues, which is unfriendly to the women lawyers in this system.

03:06I gathered information throughout country, which is my, I don't want to say pet project,

03:11need of the hour, that is Judicial Infrastructure Corporation, which I am proposing.

03:1560,000 outcourts, 22% of the women doesn't have even toilets.

03:20And lady officers also suffers this problem.

03:22So these are the ground realities, which we have to tackle these issues immediately.

03:28That is the reason why I am forcing certain issues to the executive to take and correct this.