Judicial appointment of women at senior levels can shift gender stereotypes: Justice Nagarathna

Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna said on Sunday that promoting women’s participation in the judiciary promotes the role of gender equality in a broader way and the appointment of women judges, especially at high levels, can change gender stereotypes, thereby increasing attitudes and perceptions of the appropriate Roles of men and women is changed.

Judge Nagarathna, who is slated to become India’s first female chief judge in 2027, said, “The visibility of women as judicial officials can pave the way for greater representation of women in other decision-making roles such as the legislative and executive government.” She spoke at an event , organized by the Lady Advocates of the Supreme Court to congratulate nine newly appointed Supreme Court justices, including three female judges.

Judge Nagarathna said, “I say the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana has shown the way why women cannot break through the glass ceiling in other areas, be it in the legislature or in the executive.” but all I can say is that promoting women’s participation in justice promotes the role of gender equality in a broader way. The appointment of women judicial officers, especially at high levels, can transform gender stereotypes and thereby change attitudes and perceptions of the appropriate roles of men and women, ”she said.

Announcing the appointment of nine judges at once as a “monumental achievement” for the Supreme Court, she said, “A higher number and greater visibility of female judges can increase women’s willingness to seek justice and enforce their rights.” Judge Nagarathna said that immediate appointment should not be the only occurrence and it should continue as “we, the female members, will be looking for talent from across India to bring them not only to the relevant Supreme Courts but also to the Supreme Court.” be collected”.

She advises young women’s lawyers and advises them to get involved in all areas of law and to continuously strive for improvement.

“I think it’s time to break through the glass ceiling and move forward for women. I have come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that is as unique as our fingerprint, and the best path to success is to discover our passion and find the way to offer it to others in the form of service .” , She said.

Judge Nagarathana said there are three phenomena lawyers should consider “when we are worried about women in the bar and in the bank, women entering the legal community; second, women retaining the bar which is a very important and critical aspect, and thirdly, the advancement of women to the higher ranks ”.

Another chief judge, Judge Bela M. Trivedi, who was appointed alongside Judge Nagarathna, said she said at a recent event in Gujarat that judges have no gender when on the podium. But “I have a soft corner for women, especially working women,” said Judge Trivedi.

“I have a soft corner, not because I see them as the weaker sex, but because I respect their commitment. I respect their inner strength. You know, I’ve always said that if you want to be free from your external dominance, you have to discover your inner strength, ”she said.

Justice Trivedi in Sanskrit told young lawyers that no one would light their way and that they had to light their own way.

“Be a light of yourself,” she said.

Judge Hima Kohli, who was also sworn in as the Supreme Court judge along with Judges Nagarathna and Trivedi, said they would try to live up to expectations and follow the rule of law to live up to her and give her the sensitivity that sometimes women tend to give situations that they look at from their perspective.

“I don’t speak from a gender perspective, but from a unisex perspective. So a kind of focus that a woman can have and a view of something that a man sometimes can’t think of, and I’m not saying that my male colleagues are not sensitive. It is amazing to see that many of our colleagues, with whom I have sat together, look at women-related issues from a different perspective, which may not come to my mind, ”said Judge Kohli. “I’ll be the first to admit it, but it’s very encouraging to see men are just as sensitive,” she said.

On August 31, the Supreme Court held the swearing-in of nine Supreme Court justices, including three women, in an unprecedented way that would go down in the annals of the Supreme Court’s 71-year history.

With the swearing-in of three female judges, the judges Nagarathna, Trivedi and Kohli, which took place for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court now has up to four female judges on its bench at the same time, another first that it owes to him .

In addition to the three judges, CJI NV Ramana had also taken an oath to Judges Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Vikram Nath, Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Judges CT Ravikumar, MM Sundresh and PS Narasimha, a senior attorney and former additional attorney general.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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