Indira Jaising Asks, ‘Why Senior Women Judges Ignored?’ Over Collegium Proposal To Elevate Justice Pancholi

Senior Advocate Indira Jaising on Tuesday questioned the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium to elevate Justice Vipul Pancholi to the top court, asking why three women judges, who are senior to him, were ignored.

In a post on X, Jaisingh wrote, “Since the appointment of Justices Hima Kohli, BV Nagarathna and Bela Trivedy in 202, as recommended by then-CJI NV Ramana, 28 judges have been appointed under four CJIs, but not a single woman judge has been recommended.”

The Senior Advocate highlighted the representation of women in the top court, which has only one – Justice BV Nagarathna.

In another post, she stated, “At least 3 women judges are senior to Justice Vipul Pancholi. They are Justices Sunita Agarwal, Revati Mohite Dere and Lisa Gill.”

She added that the appointment of Justice Pancholi will increase the number of judges from Gujarat to three. 

Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Justice Pancholi’s Elevation

The Supreme Court Collegium on Monday recommended Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi to be elevated to the apex court.

Justice BV Nagarathna, one of the Supreme Court Collegium members, dissented against his recommendation, stating that his appointment would not only be ‘counter-productive’ to the administration of justice but would also put the credibility of the collegium system at stake.

The apex court collegium comprises five members: Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai and justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and Nagarathna, who took the decision with a 4-1 split to elevate them.

She marked all-India seniority, highlighting that Justice Pancholi ranks 57th among high court judges nationwide. In her assessment, several meritorious and more senior judges across high courts could be considered ahead of him, as per Bar and Bench.

Born on May 28, 1968, Justice Pancholi joined the Bar in September 1991 and started practice as an advocate in the Gujarat High Court. 

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