Only One Woman Judge in SC: SCBA Passes Resolution Demanding Urgent Action from CJI and Collegium

The resolution, adopted on August 30, notes that several High Courts, including Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Manipur; currently do not have a single woman judge on their benches. Across the country, out of nearly 1,100 sanctioned High Court judgeships, around 670 are held by men, while only 103 are occupied by women.

The SCBA expressed “strong disappointment” that no woman judge from the Bar or the Bench had been elevated to the Supreme Court in the latest round of appointments. “Since 2021 no woman Judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court. At present, there is only one woman Judge serving on the Bench of the Supreme Court,” the resolution stated.

The Association recalled that its President, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, had twice written to the Chief Justice of India earlier this year; on May 24 and July 18, urging that at least proportional representation of women be ensured in higher judicial appointments. Despite this, the SCBA pointed out, recent elevations have once again excluded women candidates.

The resolution emphasizes that greater gender diversity on the Bench is not merely a matter of fairness but of strengthening the justice system itself. “The Supreme Court Bar Association firmly believes that greater gender balance on the Bench is essential not only for ensuring fair and equal representation but also for strengthening public confidence in the judiciary, enriching judicial perspectives, and reflecting the diversity of our society in the highest institution of justice,” it declared.

Accordingly, the SCBA resolved to request the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium to give “urgent and due consideration” to the elevation of more women Judges in the forthcoming rounds of appointments to both the Supreme Court and the High Courts.

This resolution reflects a growing push from the Bar to address what many legal experts describe as a glaring imbalance in the higher judiciary. While the lower judiciary has seen an increasing number of women judicial officers in recent years, their progression to High Courts and the Supreme Court has remained limited. Critics argue that without structural changes and proactive measures, gender parity in the higher judiciary will remain elusive.

The SCBA’s intervention comes at a critical time when judicial appointments are already under heightened public and institutional scrutiny. With just one woman currently on the Supreme Court Bench, the call for urgent action resonates not only as a demand for equality but also as a matter of legitimacy and inclusivity in the justice system.

Notably, their names were recommended on August 25 by the Supreme Court Collegium.

Justice Alok Aradhe was appointed as Additional Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh in 2009 and made a Permanent Judge in 2011. He has been transferred to the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Telangana. In January this year, he was transferred as the Chief Justice of High Court of Bombay and assumed charge on the 21st of January 2025.

Justice Pancholi was elevated as Additional Judge, High Court of Gujarat on 1st October 2014 and confirmed as permanent Judge in 2016. He was later transferred to Patna High Court and took oath as Judge, Patna High Court on 24th July, 2023 and became the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on 21st July, 2025.

Two vacancies arose at the Supreme Court after the recent retirements of Justices Bela Trivedi and Sudhanshu Dhulia.

The recommendation has been in the spotlight for the past few days owing to a dissent over the elevation of Justice Pancholi, by Justice BV Nagarathna.