Nine including three women took oath as judges of the Supreme Court
Recently, nine new judges, including three women judges, have been appointed in the Supreme Court, this will be the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that nine judges will be sworn in simultaneously.
This will increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 33. It may be noted that the total sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court is 34.
Women in the Judiciary:
- Starting with M Fatima Biwi in 1989, only eight women judges have been appointed so far (in the last 71 years).
- Justice Indira Banerjee is the only serving woman judge in the Supreme Court after being elevated on August 7,
Challenges before women’s entry:
- The biggest hurdle in recruiting women as District Judges is the eligibility criteria to take the entrance test.
- Advocates are required to have seven years of continuous legal practice. Also, they must mandatorily be in the age group of 35-45
- This is unfavorable for women, as many women get married at this age.
- In addition, the law requires long and inflexible working hours as well as family responsibilities, forcing many women to leave the practice. As a result, they fail to meet the need for constant practice.
Source – The Hindu
