Madras High Court Now Has The Highest Number Of Women Judges
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-12-05 03:17:50
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
The Madras High Court is in the news, mercifully for all the good reasons this time. Justice Murali Shankar Kuppuraju and Justice Thamilselvi T Valayapalayam became only the second couple to be sworn in together in the history of Indian judiciary. Further, with 5 women being sworn in to the bench, Madras HC now has 13 women judges, the highest among all high courts in India. Justices Kuppuraju and Valayapalayam also became the court's youngest judges and if they are given permanent appointment after two years, will serve the court for 10 years.
The appointment of a record number of woman judges shows that Indian women are now increasingly making their presence felt in all spheres of life. Although the in-built biases of a patriarchal society still remain, the walls are being broken, slowly in some areas and rapidly in others. This is a good sign. No society can progress well if women do not make a substantial contribution in public life. If only male views prevail then society becomes one-dimensional and cruel.
Other high courts in India should take a cue from the Madras HC and appoint more woman judges. Of course this should not descend into tokenism and such appointments must always be on the basis of merit. But one is sure that there are many deserving candidates who can find a place on the benches of high courts all over the country if the will to appoint them is there.
As for Justices Kuppuraju and Valayapalayam, there can be no greater glory for a lawyer-couple than to get elevated to the bench, and that too together. Only last year, Justices Vivek Puri and Archana Puri had become the first such couple to take oath together in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Hopefully, this will start a trend and more couples will find a place on high court benches.
