Supreme Court Bar Association flags low representation of women in higher judiciary

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Saturday (August 30, 2025) passed a resolution expressing grave concern over the “disproportionately low” representation of women judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts.

The resolution was adopted by the lawyers’ body headed by its president, senior advocate Vikas Singh, and secretary, advocate Priya Baghel, a day after Justices Alok Aradhe and Vipul M. Pancholi were sworn in as Supreme Court judges.

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The appointment of Justice Pancholi, who is in line to be the Chief Justice of India for over 1.7 years in 2031, came despite the solitary dissent of Supreme Court Collegium member and lone woman top court judge, Justice B.V. Nagarathna.

The recommendation of Justice Pancholi, who was ranked 57 in the seniority list of High Court judges across the country, came under criticism among prominent women lawyers. Senior advocate Indira Jaising had pointed out that he had superseded three women High Court judges senior to him. The previous appointment of women judges to the Supreme Court was in 2021.

“The SCBA expresses its strong disappointment that in the recent round of appointments to the Supreme Court, no woman judge from the Bar or the Bench was elevated,” the resolution said.

The association said Mr. Singh had written to Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai in May and July urging that proportional representation for women judges be ensured both in the top court and in the High Courts.

“Several High Courts like Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur presently have no women judges. Across the country there are about 1,100 sanctioned posts of High Court judges, out of which nearly 670 are occupied by men and only 103 by women,” the SCBA pointed out.