Hyderabad: The level of participation of women in decision-making is one of the principal indicators to measure their empowerment. Lack of gender diversity is evident in the Indian judiciary as well. Women judges are very few. As per 2017 statistics, only one (out of 25) women judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court. In all the High Courts of India, only 11 per cent (74 females against the 613 males) judges are women. In the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Court, out of the total approved strength of 61, of which 46 are permanent, only three judges are women.
Going by the data provided by the department of justice, ministry of law and justice, there is a clear indication that the Indian judiciary lacks gender diversity. A senior female lawyer, on condition of anonymity, said, “A diverse bench of judges is needed in all the High Courts across the country to form a non-bias judiciary. “The directions passed by a diverse bench will make the courts more democratic. The inclusion of women as judges will also boost women who aspire for careers in law.” Meanwhile, a research done by “Vidhi legal policy,” which studied the number of women judges in the lower judiciary courts, found that women judges comprise of 28 per cent of total judges in the lower court across India.
