In a bid to provide opportunity to women to show their talent in the field of judiciary, Odisha has demanded a 50-per cent reservation for women in the judges’ appointment in the country.
A written proposal has been sent to the Supreme Court and the Union Government in this regard by lawyer and Utkal Gandhi Smarak Nidhi president Prahlad Kumar Sinha demanding at least 50-per cent reservation for eligible women candidates in the appointment of judges from lower courts to the apex court.
He has justified the demand giving reference about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Since India is among the nations which have signed the pact, as per the population, eligible women candidates should be given opportunity in the appointment of judges on the basis of their qualification and experience in the particular field, Sinha has said.
Women have proved their potentials in all the spheres right from administration, research and judiciary with their talents and knowledge. However, the existing collegium system restricts appointment of women judges on a large scale. Sinha gas sought amendment to the present system.
While women constitute half of the country’s population, women judges’ number in all the courts is not more than 10 per cent. Currently, Justice R Bhanumati is the only woman judge in the Supreme Court among 29 judges. Only six women judges out of total of 229 judges have been appointed in the apex court till now since 1950, Sinha has pointed out.
Similarly, the number is confined with only 62 women judges while it is 611 men judges in 24 High Courts of the country. Not a single woman judge has been appointed so far in the High Courts of nine States.
Currently, the Orissa High Court has 22 judges out of the 27 sanctioned posts. Among them, Justice Sanju Panda is the only woman judge. Earlier, woman Justice Amiya Kumari Padhi had acted with efficiency in this High Court. The percentage of women judges in the Orissa High Court is only 4.5 per cent.
Notably, women were prohibited from practising law in the country till 1922. Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das was the pioneer in bringing opportunity for women in the field of law after a long fight when he was a Minister in Bihar. He fought for his adopted daughter Saila Bala to enrol in law and provide her a licence for practice.
