Changes in Gender Diversity in the District Judiciary: 2007-24

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JALDI's portal, " Women in the Judiciary ", traces gender diversity at all levels of the Indian judiciary. The portal provides visual data regarding the gender breakdown of judges in the district judiciary (Civil Judges and District Judges) over the years, from 2007 to 2024, to fuel ongoing conversations about gender diversity and inclusivity within the judiciary, towards the ultimate goal of a truly representative legal system. The data presented here utilises the methodology underlining the District Judiciary section of the portal, to trace changes in gender composition of appointees to the posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) and District Judge (Direct Recruitment) across all Indian states. Note : The following states provide for reservation for women at the level of Civil Judge (Junior Division): Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Further, the following states provide for reservation for women at the level of District Judge (Direct Recruitment from the Bar): Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. The data has been collected in two phases through applications under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI). In the first phase ("Round 1"), RTI applications were filed with State Law Departments and High Courts seeking selection lists for posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) and District Judge (Direct Recruitment from the Bar) from 2007 to 2017. This was further supplemented with selection lists for recruitment cycles for Civil Judge (Junior Division) completed as on January 2019 and which are available online. In the second phase ("Round 2"), RTI applications were filed with High Courts seeking information on the number of appointments made to the posts from 2018 to 2024. In Round 2, requisite information was furnished by 17 states. Thus, data for recruitments conducted during 2018-24 have been provided for these states. For the States of Gujarat and Karnataka, the RTI responses only provided appointment notifications. Information from the notifications was disaggregated by gender based on the names of appointees. Designing the Graphs As appointments have been made in different years across different states, the data has been visualised in terms of recruitment cycles, rather than years. For the purposes of visual representation, the "recruitment cycle" is taken to be the final year in which persons were appointed to the district judiciary. However, for Rajasthan, it was noted that in some instances, the recruitment took place over a period of at least two years. For the States that have responded in either round of data collection, we assume that no recruitments took place for the years where no data was provided during that time period. The graphs plot the number of persons, segregated by gender, who were recruited to the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) or the District Judge (Direct Recruitment) in the respective states in the recruitment cycles for which information has been provided. The x-axis shows the recruitment cycle, and the y-axis shows the percentage of male/female appointees in comparison to the overall appointees in that cycle. On hovering over any bar in the graph, the total number of male and female appointees in that cycle is visible.

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Changes_in_Gender_Diversity_in_the_District_Judiciary_2007-24_10.pdf

Authors

Shruthi Naik

Senior Resident Fellow and Team Lead

At JALDI, I work on research and projects focused on improving case management, reducing delays in the progress of cases, and improving access to justice. Since 2016, I have worked extensively on access to justice and judicial policy reform. I have written and contributed to a number of data-driven reports on the functioning of the judiciary, worked closely with the judiciary and government to help improve the delivery of justice, conducted a large household survey, and edited a book on the impact of judicial delays. My areas of interest include access to justice, inequality, gender, and accountability in governance. I received a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru in 2015 and a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School, Berlin in 2023. Before joining Vidhi, I worked with the RefMig (Refugees are Migrants) project in Berlin, DAKSH, and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. My dream for the Indian judiciary is to make it efficient and responsive to the needs of all citizens, so that no one is forced to seek justice elsewhere due to factors such as time, cost of litigation or uncertainty. Outside work, I enjoy dabbling in art and experimenting with new cuisines.

Priyamvadha Shivaji

Senior Resident Fellow

At JALDI, I have worked on engagements with the High Courts of Meghalaya and Delhi and government departments in Karnataka, and produced independent research on various aspects including re-imagined Civil Rules of Practice, a Court Design Handbook for improving court infrastructure in India, a proposal for introducing Differentiated Case Management for the Indian judiciary etc. My work focuses on process re-engineering and the need for ensuring user-friendly, accessible, and efficient courts. I graduated with a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in 2020 and obtained the BCL from the University of Oxford in 2021. I have previously provided research assistance on various other independent projects. My dream for the Indian judiciary is for the system to inspire trust and confidence in all stakeholders. This occurs when the judiciary is deeply committed to accessibility, transparency, efficiency, technology and a culture of continuous learning and adaptability to meet the evolving needs of a dynamic society. Ultimately, courts should become well-equipped and welcoming spaces to make the pursuit of justice a vibrant, participatory and meaningful exercise. I love reading, writing speculative fiction, quizzing and learning new languages.

Jyotika Randhawa

Senior Resident Fellow

At JALDI, I have worked on engagements with the National Court Management Systems’ Human Resource Sub-committee; and the Telangana State Judicial Academy (POCSO and Judicial Data Management training sessions). Other projects that I have worked on are Re-imagined Civil Rules of Practice (process re-engineering); Differentiated Case Management for the Indian Judiciary (case management, process re-engineering); and the Constitution Bench Pendency Portal (data analysis, assessing courts’ capacity). I have previously provided research assistance for the report ‘A Decade of POCSO: Developments, Challenges, and Insights from Judicial Data’ (assessing courts’ capacity). I have completed my B.A.LLB. from ILS Law College, Pune in 2020 and obtained my Master’s in Social Work in Criminology from Tata Institute of Social Sciences in 2022. My vision for the Indian judiciary entails a system that is accessible to all, down to the very vulnerable sections of the society. The judiciary must adopt a holistic approach and work in tandem with ancillary institutions such as legal aid clinics, social workers, and the Juvenile Justice System to be able implement effective justice. When not working, I enjoy reading, sketching and spending time with my cats.

Shreya Tripathy

Senior Resident Fellow

Since 2018, I have worked in JALDI on topics such as judicial diversity, infrastructure and efficient budgeting for the judiciary. I have also undertaken several data-driven projects intending to understand the systemic problems of the judiciary at all levels and provide targeted solutions. I have publications in the Economic and Political Weekly and other law & policy review journals. I have also published in the Outlook and platforms such as Hindustan Times and The Print. My areas of interest include Human Rights & Judicial Reforms. I graduated with B.B.A.LL.B. from National Law University, Odisha in 2018. Before joining Vidhi, I interned in organizations like Nyaaya, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre and Partners for Law in Development. My dream for the Indian judiciary is that it becomes more inclusive and accessible for all. The general narrative when it comes to accessibility and the judiciary tends to shift towards litigants who may be Persons with Disabilities. It is high time that the judiciary starts changing this narrative and starts considering accessibility for all and at all levels including judicial officers and staff. I am an enthusiastic collector of cookbooks and love trying out recipes from around the world.