Bobde bats for woman as CJI
SC urged to consider appointing women lawyers as judges of HCs
New Delhi: The Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday batted for more women judges in higher judiciary saying that time has come for a woman Chief Justice of India. However, Chief Justice Bobde regretted that the women lawyers when offered judgeship decline it citing domestic and parental responsibilities.
Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday batted for more women judges in higher judiciary saying that time has come for a woman Chief Justice of India. However, CJI Bobde regretted that the women lawyers when offered judgeship decline it citing domestic and parental responsibilities.
“Time has come for a woman Chief Justice of India” said CJI Bobde pointing out that the chief justices of high courts have told him that when
BOBDE POINTS out that when women lawyers are asked to come on the bench they deny saying they have domestic and parental responsibilities.
women lawyers are asked to come on the bench they deny saying they have domestic and parental responsibilities.” Chief Justice Bobde heading a bench also comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Surya Kant said this in the course of the hearing of a petition seeking the appointment of ad-hoc judges to address the issue of a large number of vacancies in the high courts across the country.
The hearing was on a PIL filed by NGO Lok Prahari represented by its general secretary S.N. Shukla who appeared in person. On the conclusion of the hearing court reserved the orders.
The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) had urged the top court to consider appointing experienced women lawyers from the Supreme Court as judges of high courts — a step to increase the number of women judges.
Telling the advocate Sneha Kalita appearing for SCWLA that they have the best interest of women in mind, CJI Bobde however said that they need “capable candidates”.
The hearing also saw CJI Bobde disclosing that some of the complaints against judges are “shockingly false”, pointing out that they have to be given security of tenure and cannot be made vulnerable like this,
Picking from what CJI Bobde said, Justice Kaul said that the complaints crop up only when someone is appointed a judge.
In the matter relating to the PIL by NGO Lok Prahari, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal informed the bench that the decision on the top court collegium recommending 10 names for appointment as High court judges would be communicated to 5the top court in three months time.
At this, the court asked the Centre to furnish the time line to act on the collegiums recommendations particularly the time taken by the ministry of law and justice to clear the names recommended by the collegium.