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The judiciary still lacks gender diversity: Gita Mittal
The judiciary still lacks gender diversity: Gita Mittal
On Saturday, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal paid homage to women attorneys and judges who have played a part in shaping the Indian legal sector and contributing to the role of empowering women in the legal profession.
According to Justice Mittal, the lack of gender diversity in the court is a continuing problem, and the legal profession is predominately held by men.
“I was invited to speak about women who have been stalwarts in their fields. The majority of their time is spent working on busting through glass ceilings and overcoming obstacles. Because males have historically held the majority of positions in this field, women who wish to join the ranks of the privileged must devise novel strategies. It is essential to their contributions to both the bench and the bar because of this. “It is still the norm that there is not enough gender diversity on the bench,” she remarked.
At the 3rd Justice HR Khanna memorial symposium, which was held by the Confederation of Alumni for National Law Universities Foundation (CAN Foundation), Justice Mittal spoke on the topic of “Legal Stalwarts and their Contributions to the Modern Indian Judicial System.”
During her remarks, Justice Mittal brought attention to the contributions made by a number of women working in the legal field.
She spoke about the late Cornelia Sorabji, who worked as an assistant at the court of wards in Bengal, despite the fact that she had studied law at Oxford and was not granted a licence to practise after completing her education there. She assisted a number of women and orphans.
She showered accolades on the late Regina Guha, who was the first to fight restrictions that barred women from becoming pleaders. She was the first to challenge the rules.
“After a five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court came to the unanimous conclusion that only men can be pleaders, she (Guha) decided to shift her line of work. However, the modification was eventually brought about as a result of her plea,” remarked Justice Mittal.
She referred to the appointments of Justices Fatima Beevi and Anna Chandy as “monumental.” Justice Beevi was the first woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court, while Justice Chandy was the first woman to ever serve as a judge.
She remarked that she had similar views regarding the appointment of Justices Leila Seth (the first woman Chief Justice of at a High Court) and Indu Malhotra (to the Supreme Court) as agents of change.
Justice Mittal also discussed the contributions made by the former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Ruma Pal, and lauded the current judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice Prathiba M. Singh, for her leadership of the court’s intellectual property division.
In addition, she made a point to emphasise Senior Advocate Indira Jaising’s contribution to the movement to improve the status of women in society.
“Her unwavering commitment to upholding justice and protecting human rights has made an enormous mark on the legal community.” She made a significant contribution to the writing of CEDAW, which ultimately led to the domestic abuse statute in India. The Vishakha judgement has brought praise and acclaim to our judicial system… “The roles that such women have played have contributed to breaking stereotypes,” stated Justice Mittal.
As a means of encouraging women to overcome obstacles and pursue careers in law, Justice Mittal advocated for measures such as flexible work hours, the possibility to work from home, targeted subsidies and stipends, and paying for pauses in practise due to causes such as maternity.
