In order to ensure that decision-making processes are more responsive, the administration is committed to diversity in the selection of judges, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated in a statement to the legislature. Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union law minister, emphasized the government’s commitment to diversity in judicial appointments while stating that as of August 4, only 13% of high court judges (106) and more than 36% at the district and subordinate levels (7,199) were women. This ensures that decision-making processes become more responsive, inclusive, and participatory.
In response to R Dharmar’s inquiry on Thursday regarding the measures being taken to rectify the gender imbalance in the court, Meghwal stated that only three of the Supreme Court judges were female. He said that in order to maintain social diversity in the selection of judges in higher judiciary, the government has been urging the chief justices of high courts to take into consideration women and candidates from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward groups, and minorities.
There are 34 judges on the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice of India. The sanctioned strength is 1,114 judges, however the high court’s only have 775. Meghwal emphasised that the selection of judges for the Supreme Court and high courts is governed by the Constitution, and that only recommendations are considered by the government.
In April, a Tata Trusts research titled India Justice research stated that 35% of judges nationwide were women. “One in ten people working in the justice system are women. Only 13% of judges on the high court and 35% of judges on lower courts are female. According to the research, 70% of judges in the Goa district court were women, followed by 62.7 percent each in Meghalaya, Telangana, Sikkim, and Mizoram.
