Study reveals only 14%-17% of judges in the Karnataka High Court are women

Former Supreme Court judge Indira Banerjee and senior advocate at the Supreme Court Jayna Kothari at an event in Bengaluru on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

A study by the Centre for Law and Policy Research has shown that only 14%-17% of judges in the Karnataka High Court are women. The other HCs with the same gender composition included Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, and Calcutta.

The study was revealed at a fireside chat between former Supreme Court judge Indira Banerjee and senior advocate at the Supreme Court Jayna Kothari in Bengaluru on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2025).

Best and worst performing States

While currently 6.25% (two out of 32) of the Supreme Court judges are women, historically the ratio stood at a mere 3.95%, the study revealed. Telangana came at the top in terms of best performing States with respect to gender composition in high courts with a percentage of 33% female judges, followed by Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana, Delhi, Madras and Gauhati.

The worst performing states included Allahabad, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Meghalaya, Tripura and Uttarakhand HCs have zero women judges. 

“Historically, the Supreme Court has had nine male judges directly elevated from the Bar. In contrast, only one woman (Justice Indu Malhotra) was elevated in 2018,” the study said.

“Since 2021, 28 male judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, no woman judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court since 2021,” it further read.

Tenure of women judges shorter than male judges

The study also noted that women face a difference in the age of appointment and are appointed later than men, which heavily impacts their seniority and their rise to the Supreme Court or the collegium. It was found that the tenure of women judges in the SC is on average one year less than that of male judges. 

“Only four women judges have been part of the Supreme Court collegium till date, but only two were part of making any appointments,” the study read.