Supreme Court (SC) directed 33% reservation for women in SC Bar Association (SCBA) Posts

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An order issued by a 2-Judge bench of the SC directed the implementation of reservation including the ensuing elections for 2024-25.
- It may increase the pool of women candidates to be appointed as judge in the SC.

Current status of Women in Higher Judiciary
- Only 11 out of 268 Judges ever appointed in SC, since independence, are Women.
  - Justice Fathima Beevi was the first women judge to serve the SC in 1989.
- There were 35% women judges in subordinate courts while just 13% in High Courts (HCs). (India Justice Report, 2022)
- Only ~15% of the practising lawyers are women.

Reasons for inadequate women representation: Patriarchal societal norms which discourage women from pursuing legal profession, lack of transparency in appointment processes, Judicial ‘glass-ceiling’, etc.

Significance of better representation of Women in judiciary
- Gender Sensitivity: Greater empathy and understanding towards gender-related issues, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, discrimination, etc.
- Legitimacy and Public Confidence: Diversity in judiciary will make the institutions more representative and lend legitimacy to them.
- Role Models and Inspiration: Encourage more women to pursue careers in the legal profession and aspire to positions of decision-making.

States like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, etc., provide for reservation for women in lower judiciary.
Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice recommended adding provision related to adequate number of women in judicial appointment in the Memoranda of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges to SC and HCs.

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