Madras HC inducts four women judges; tops nation with 11

Leaders, Records, All
Six judges were sworn in on Friday taking the number of judges to 60 which is 15 short of the sanctioned strength
Six judges were sworn in on Friday taking the number of judges to 60 which is 15 short of the sanctioned strength

Chennai :

By inducting four women additional judges on Friday, the Madras high court bagged the honour of having the maximum number of women judges on its rolls in the country. The court now has 11 women judges, overtaking the Delhi high court which has 10.

The sanctioned strength of the Madras high court is 75, but it has only 60 judges now. This is the first time that the number of women judges in the court has entered double-digits, and four of them were sworn in at the same time.

At least one-third of Tamil Nadu’s subordinate judiciary is taken up by women judges, as the state has been implementing one-third reservation for women.

Among other high courts of comparable size, the Bombay high court has nine women judges at present, while the Allahabad high court has just six women judges of the sitting strength of 98.

Of the six new judges sworn in by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee on Friday, Justice S Ramathilagam, Justice R Tharani, Justice T Krishnavalli and Justice R Hemalatha are women.

Besides the chief justice herself, the chartered high court already has six women judges – Justice S Vimala, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Justice V M Velumani, Justice J Nisha Banu, Justice Anita Sumanth and Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan.

The number would have touched the dozen mark, but for the decision of the Supreme Court to defer the selection of Sarojhinidevi, a senior district judge who had been recommended by the Madras high court along with the six selected candidates.

Her name was delinked from 11 names recommended in two batches for appointment as judges of the high court, in view of a pending case.

The apex court collegium had asked the high court to submit a status report on the matter. Since the pending case had been concluded in her favour, the high court sent the report to the apex court. Had she also been appointed, the strength of women judges in the high court would have touched 12, accounting for one-fifth of the sitting strength of judges in the court.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by A. Subramani / TNN / December 02nd, 2017