In a historical move by the Supreme Court Collegium, a female lawyer has been recommended for appointment as a judge in the Supreme Court.
The collegium led by Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, has unanimously nominated senior advocate Indu Malhotra for the position, in a meeting held on January 10.
Let the record books show that this is the first time ever, in the history of India, that a woman lawyer has been recommended for a direct advancement from the Bar to a judgeship in the Supreme Court.
Indu Malhotra is an excellent choice. Hope the court is aiming for 50 %. Even 5 women would be significant. https://t.co/SIaTYzGYes
— Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) January 11, 2018
According to a report published by The Hindu, experts say that this decision is a rare recognition of the professional talent and contribution of Ms. Malhotra, a reputed senior advocate practising in the apex court.
After the apex court was established in 1950, Justice M. Fathima Beevi was the first woman Supreme Court Judge appointed in 1989, followed by Justice Sujata V. Manohar, appointed in 1994 who served a five-year tenure in the Supreme Court.
Glad Supreme Court delivers on gender justice in proposing lawyer Ms Indu Malhotra as judge of Apex Court . K M Joseph too super choice .
— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) January 12, 2018
Justice R. Banumathi is the only woman in the Supreme Court judiciary, and at a time when the court has been facing criticism for not appointing more women judges, especially when the number of women-centric cases has been making their way to the Supreme Court has increased over the years, the appointment of Indu Ms. Malhotra will be a magnificent win for our judicial system.
If appointed, Ms. Malhotra would be only the seventh woman judge in the Supreme Court’s 68-year-old history, and the eighth lawyer to be directly appointed to the Supreme Court Bench.
More power to you, Ms. Malhotra. Here’s hoping you will give us women yet another milestone to be etched forever in the history of India!
Feature Image: NDTV, The Hindu
