Hope Time For First Woman Chief Justice Of India Won't Be Very Far Off : Justice RF Nariman

Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman on Friday said that he hoped the time for the first woman Chief Justice of India will not be very far off.

"We have had a woman President. We have had a woman Prime Minister. We have never had a woman Chief Justice of India", Justice Nariman said.

He made these comments during his lecture on the topic "Great Women of History" delivered as the 26th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture.

He said that Justice Sunanda Bhandare was probably the candidate for becoming the first woman Chief Justice of India.

"Justice Sunanda Bhandare was probably THE candidate for becoming the first woman Chief Justice of India. Unfortunately, life was cruel to her, and cut her remarkable career short", Justice RF Nariman said.

"In any event, I hope, given the present dispensation, the time for the first woman Chief Justice won't be very far off", he said while concluding his speech.

The Supreme Court has had only eight women judges till date. Justice Indira Banerjee is the only woman judge in the Top Court at present.

Yesterday, the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde had also remarked that the "time for a woman Chief Justice of India has come".

The CJI made this remark while hearing an application by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking the consideration of meritorious women lawyers as High Court judges. The Association highlighted that "abysmal" women representation of just 11% in High Courts

The CJI also said the many women lawyers have declined judgeship offer citing domestic responsibilities.

"Chief Justices of High courts have stated that many women advocates, when invited to come as judges, declined the offer citing domestic responsibilities about children studying in Class 12 etc", CJI said.

Full video of Justice Nariman's speech may be watched here :