Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Sunday exhorted women lawyers to strongly raise their demand for 50 per cent reservation in the judiciary while assuring them of his “total support”. “I don’t want you to cry but with anger, you have to shout and demand that we need 50 per cent reservation,” he said. “Enough of suppression of thousands of years. It is high time we have 50% representation of women in judiciary. It is your right. It is not a matter of charity,” the chief justice said at an event organised by women advocates of the Supreme Court.
He added that he is “forcing the executive for applying necessary correctives.” The CJI said that it’s an issue of thousands of years of suppression and women are entitled to the reservation and added, “It’s a matter of right, and not a matter a charity.” Lamenting centuries of suppression of women at workplaces, chief justice Ramana called for an “urgent correction” in the state of affairs, and said he strongly advocates reservation of a “significant percentage of seats” in law schools and universities for women. He said, “I want to say that I strongly recommend and support the demand of a certain percentage of reservation in all law schools of the country for women, so that they can join the judiciary.” Stressing the need to create a more welcoming environment, Justice Ramana said, “I am also forcing the Executive for applying necessary correctives.” Higher judiciary in India, which includes the Supreme Court and the high courts, currently has no policy of reservations for women. Such reservation in subordinate courts depends on the policy of the state government and the concerned high court.
