“Hope won’t be far off”: Justice Nariman on woman Chief Justice of India

By LE Desk

New Delhi, April 17: It is “unfortunate” that India has never had a female Chief Justice, despite having women serve as President and Prime Minister, Supreme Court judge Justice RF Nariman said.

Delivering the Justice Sunanda Bhandara Foundation lecture in Delhi, he said: “I hope that given the present dispensation (the) time for the first woman Chief Justice won’t be very far off…”, NDTV reported.

Justice Nariman’s remark made yesterday comes a day after Chief Justice SA Bobde – while hearing the appointment of ad hoc judges to High Courts across the country – said “we are implementing it (naming a woman to the top judiciary post)… only thing is we have to get good candidates”.

Apart from never having had a woman serve as Chief Justice, India has only had eight women appointed to the Supreme Court. Of those eight, only three have been appointed since 2014.

The next Chief Justice – Chief Justice Bobde will retire next week – will not be a woman either.

Earlier this month President Ram Nath Kovind confirmed the appointment of Justice NV Ramana to that post; Justice Ramana will be sworn in next Saturday and serve till August 26, 2022.

Justice BV Nagarathna, presently a judge in the Karnataka High Court, is one of those whose name is being considered by the Supreme Court collegium, which met last week, for elevation.

However, no consensus was reached, as there are other women who are senior to Justice Nagarathna.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/supreme-court-woman-chief-justice-hope-wont-be-far-off-justice-rf-nariman-on-woman-chief-justice-of-india-2415403