women judges in the Supreme Court are fewer in number and have shorter tenures
In fact, until now, there have been only 11 female Supreme Court judges, which accounts for just 4% of a total of 279 judges who have presided over the Supreme Court of India since January 28, 1950, when the Court came into being.
Viewing the tenures of these 11 judges, what is evident is that at any given time, the Supreme Court has never had more than four women justices. In fact, the very first instance of the Supreme Court having more than one woman judge at the same time was on 13 September, 2011, when Justice Ranjana P. Desai was elevated to the apex Court while Justice Gyan Sudha Misra was active (she had been a Supreme Court justice since April 30, 2010). This lasted until April 27, 2014, when Justice Gyan Sudha Misra retired.
As shown in the graphic below, it would not be until August 7, 2018 when the Supreme Court would comprise of three female judges for the first time. This lasted for almost two years, until Justice R. Banumathi's retirement on July 19, 2020.
Just over a year later, on August 31, 2021, the Supreme Court would comprise of four female judges for the first time: Justice Indira Banerjee, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, and Justice Bela M. Trivedi.
The top Court is yet to see five female judges at the same time.
Higher age of appointment of female judges
The median age appointment of female judges is 61, whereas that of male judges is 59, as shown in the graphic below where each point represents a judge.
Judges of the Supreme Court must retire upon attaining the age of 65, as per Article 124 of the Constitution of India. With the median age of appointment of female judges and male judges differing, their tenures in the Supreme Court also differ. Female judges spend around six months less than male counterparts who are not elevated to the Chief Justice of India. The tenure of female judges is four years lesser than male judges who were elevated to the Chief Justice of India, as shown in the graphic below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
A historic move, but still unequal
Hoping to bring down the curtain on the three-decade-old struggle for internal reservation, the Karnataka government on Tuesday agreed on a matrix for slicing up the overall 17% reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the State. The Madiga community (Dalit left), who led the struggle from the front, will now get a 6% share in the overall matrix. The relatively better-off Dalit right (Holeya) group will receive 6%, while the 'less backward' communities of Lambanis, Bhovis, Korama, and Koracha — along with 59 microscopic communities — have been allocated 5%. The demand for internal reservation, which gained momentum over the past decade and a half, received judicial clearance last August, when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of creating a matrix within the larger SC quota. In Karnataka, 101 castes have been notified as SCs. The government mostly relied on the recommendations of the one-man commission headed by retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das, who submitted a report on August 4. The report recommended classifications following a two-month house-to-house survey, which collected empirical data on the socio-economic and educational backwardness of about 93% of Karnataka's estimated 1.16 crore SC population. The Cabinet's decision, announced by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, appears to have been weighed down by political compulsions. While the commission recommended five categories based on backwardness, the government reduced these to three to accommodate the demands of the politically stronger Dalit right and 'less backward' communities. In doing so, the State government let go of Category A, which was recommended for 1% reservation by the commission for the most backward 59 microscopic communities, many of which have double-digit populations and no representation in bureaucracy or politics. The Cabinet also dropped the 1% reservation recommended for Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida, and Adi Andhra communities under Category E. They have been split between right and left groups. Under the new categorisation, microscopic communities — around 4.97% of the total SC population — will now have to fight with relatively better-off 'less backward' SC communities that have made strides in securing education and finding public sector employment. While many concede that bringing consensus among all groups vying to have a bigger pie in the matrix was not easy, it was believed that in the jockeying for a higher share, the microscopic communities — many of them nomadic — did not get the justice they had hoped for. Of the six Dalit Ministers in the Cabinet, none represents these communities, and there was no voice in their favour. In the final decision, both Dalit right and 'less backward' communities received 1% more than the commission's recommendations. In Karnataka, the Dalit left is seen as veering towards the BJP, while the Dalit right is believed to be with the Congress. The 'less backward' communities are believed to be divided between the BJP and Congress. The question of internal reservation has been an important component of Dalit politics in Karnataka over the past two decades. While the A.J. Sadashiva Commission, set up in 2005, submitted its report in 2012, the internal reservation remained mostly rhetoric as Dalit right groups successfully brought pressure on the government not to implement its recommendations. The judiciary then had also not cleared the internal reservation. The BJP government in 2022 tried to tinker with the recommendations and came out with its matrix that was unacceptable to Dalit right and 'less backward' communities. It also increased the overall reservation for SCs from 15% to 17%. Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress promised in its manifesto to introduce internal reservation. Following the commission's recommendations, though not officially released, Dalit right groups have been vigorously campaigning against the report, urging the government to drop it in what was seen as a posture for hard bargaining. While the clearing of the internal quota is historic, in the end, the relatively more powerful communities within the larger SC population seem to have gained an upper hand, while the most marginalised still have a long fight.
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nirbhay Morning Walk in Kolhapur marks Dabholkar death anniversary, calls for action against superstition
Kolhapur: Young rationalists in Kolhapur city organised the 'Nirbhay Morning Walk' on the 12th death anniversary of Narendra Dabholkar, chanting "Narendra Dabholkar Amar Rahe" on Wednesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The walk commenced at Bindu Chowk, proceeded to Shivaji Chowk, CPR Chowk, Dasara Chowk, and returned to Bindu Chowk. Narendra Dabholkar, the founder of Maharashtra Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an anti-superstition forum, was murdered in Pune on this day in 2013. In May 2024, Pune's special court convicted two people for Dabholkar's murder. However, activists argue that the masterminds behind the killings remain at large. Krushnat Swati, an activist, said, "The two accused were held guilty. However, state govt has not made efforts to challenge the acquittals of three other accused people. There is no effort on the part of the investigation to reach out to the masterminds of the murders of Dabholkar and Govind Pansare." Activists have called for the law criminalising superstition to be implemented nationwide and for the Maharashtra law, enacted following Dabholkar's death, to be reinforced. The youths committed to following a rationalist path, rejecting superstition, and pledged to continue Dabholkar's work. They also chanted the victory of the Constitution of India during the walk. One participant said, "The Constitution clearly defines that the state, that is, govt machinery, should take steps to create awareness of scientific thoughts; however, it rarely happens, and the responsibility comes upon us to take the thought forward. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " In Sangli, a delegation of activists met with the district administration to present a petition demanding that the CBI expedite its efforts to challenge the acquittals in the Dabholkar murder case. Additionally, at various locations, Dabholkar's books were sold at half the regular price.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
INDIA bloc hails Sudarshan Reddy as VP pick, pitches contest as fight to defend Constitution
Agencies Justice (retired) B Sudershan Reddy New Delhi: INDIA bloc MPs on Wednesday felicitated B Sudarshan Reddy on being chosen as their vice-presidential candidate. They hailed Reddy as an eminent jurist and projected the contest against NDA nominees as a clash between two ideologies. "There is a fight going on between those attacking the Constitution and those defending the Constitution... Every single (Opposition) party has supported Reddy ji. He worked on the Telangana caste census, helped craft a vision of social justice for Telangana. As I was thinking what to say, I happened to look inside his pocket. And inside his pocket, there was the Constitution of India. He is carrying the Constitution of India with him everywhere... After about five minutes, he said to me, "Rahul, I have been carrying the Constitution in my pocket for 52 years... He said, because, in any legal conversation, the Constitution has the final answer...," said Rahul Gandhi at the event held at the old Parliament complex. Gandhi also referred to the abrupt resignation of former vice president Jagdeep Dhankar and said there was a story behind him quitting and going incommunicado. "The day the vice president resigned, Venugopal ji called me and said, 'The vice president is gone. There's a big story about why he resigned. Some of you might know it, some of you might not know it, but there's a story behind it, and then there's a story about why he's in hiding. Why is the vice president of India in a situation where he cannot say a word? Suddenly, the person who used to be very vocal in the Rajya Sabha has gone silent, completely silent. So, this is the time we're living in". Mallikarjun Kharge said Reddy "embodies the timeless value of justice, equality, and inclusivity that fuelled India's freedom movement and forms the bedrock of our Constitution".
