Senior Supreme Court judge Rohinton F Nariman on Friday called it unfortunate that India was still to have its first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI) despite having women as its President and Prime Minister.
“In India, we had a woman President. But unfortunately, despite the fact that we had a woman President and a woman Prime Minister, we have never had a woman Chief Justice of India,” lamented the judge as he addressed the 26th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture at the national capital.
Justice Nariman also expressed hope that the Supreme Court will soon change this fact: “I hope that given the present dispensation, the time for the first woman CJI will not be very far off.”
Justice Nariman’s comments echo the views expressed by current CJI SA Bobde a day ago. CJI Bobde, during a hearing in the top court on Thursday, said that the time has come for the country to have its first woman CJI.
The apex court currently has five vacancies out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Out of 29 judges, there is only one woman judge.
{{/usCountry}}The apex court currently has five vacancies out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Out of 29 judges, there is only one woman judge.
{{/usCountry}}As reported by HT on February 21, a timely elevation of justice BV Nagarathna from the Karnataka high court, could give India its first woman CJI in 2027.
On Friday, justice Nariman, while delivering his address, also recalled that justice Bhandare, a former Delhi high court judge who passed away at the age of 52 in 1994, as probably the candidate who could become the first woman CJI. “Unfortunately, life was cruel to her and cut her remarkable career short,” regretted the judge.
Justice Nariman spoke on the topic “Great women of history” and named five of them -- Cleopatra, Pope Joan, Razia Sultana, Elizabeth I of England, and Catherine, The Great of Russia. He termed all of them “remarkable” while pointing out that each one of them had to fight with their backs to the wall.
“Each one of them was brilliant but none succeeded. It is the only two recent ones who succeeded,” said justice Nariman as he elucidated the historical facts about how Cleopatra, Pope Joan and Razia Sultana were killed because they were women and were not supposed to rule over or preside over the men.
“We have had this misogynistic tradition for ages...Women in the history have all started out by being perceived by the other sex as something below the men,” rued the judge, adding it was not before the 16th century when people started accepting that to rule was not the exclusive preserve of men.