Women judges in India serve one year less than men

Bengaluru: A new report shows that women judges in India's Supreme Court serve one year less than men. This difference affects their chances of moving into higher positions. The report, from the Centre for Law and Policy Research, was presented in Bengaluru and highlights ongoing gender discrimination in judicial appointments. On average, women judges hold their positions for about 4.4 years, while men serve about 5.4 years. The average age of appointment is 59.5 years for men and 60.5 years for women. Nithya Rhea Rajshekar, a researcher at CLPR, stressed that this one-year difference is significant in a system where Supreme Court tenures are typically five years. Justice BV Nagarathna will be the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027 but will only serve for 36 days. This raises concerns about the timing of her appointment. The report also notes that in high courts, women are often appointed more than three years later than men. Fifteen of the 25 high courts in India have never had a woman serve as chief justice. Only 12 out of the 242 high court chief justices appointed by the collegium have been women. Professor Aparna Chandra noted that most Supreme Court judges come from high court chief justices, limiting opportunities for those in lower positions. Experts argue that judicial appointments need more transparency. Ranjin Tripathy, another professor, emphasized the importance of making data on judicial appointments publicly available, both at the Supreme Court and high court levels. This could help in understanding the dynamics of these appointments and encourage reforms.