24/03/2025
The Centre for Law and Policy Research organised a two-day National Consultation, titled "Equal Justice: Securing Equal Inclusion of Women in the Higher Judiciary,” on 22nd and 23rd March at . Day 1 commenced with a closed-door roundtable featuring Senior Women Lawyers at the Supreme Court of India.
We hosted two panels on Day 1, March 22nd. Panel 1 explored the role of Bar Associations, essential stakeholders who can serve as critical intermediaries in actively dismantling systemic barriers and creating pathways for women in the higher judiciary. Panellists underscored the pressing need for institutional change to enhance women's leadership in the legal profession. They stressed the importance of moving beyond 'empowerment' to securing women a 'seat at the table'.
Highlighting the systemic barriers faced by women, Anita Shekhar Castellino, Counsel at the Bombay High Court and a Member of the Executive Committee of the Bombay Bar Association, stated, “It is not that women don’t want to. The hesitation is that they are not able to network like the men.”
"Mentoring and educating is a very long and slow process. Even after 74 years down the line (of Supreme Court), we still have a very small number of women in leadership positions," Vibha Datta Makhija, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, stated while moderating the session.
"If a woman can become the President, if a woman can become the Finance Minister, and if a woman can become the Defence Minister, why can’t they also become the president of Bar Associations?" - N Krishnaveni, Senior Advocate, Madras High Court, posed an important question regarding the ongoing disparity in women holding positions within Bar Associations.
Highlighting the need for institutional change, Prashant Kumar, President of the Bar Association of India, stated, "To change it from the Bar Association is doing very little. It has to be an institutional change".
