A Win For Gender Equality! Kerala High Court Now Has Six Female Judges

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A Win For Gender Equality! Kerala High Court Now Has Six Female Judges

The state is already known for giving the country its first female Supreme Court judge, who was Justice Fathima Beevi, and first-ever female judge in Anna Chandy in the year 1937.

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Kerala High Court scripted history recently as two more female judges swore in, making it a total of six such judges. This is the first time in the state's judicial history that these many women have taken up this position in the high court. In the past, the state has given the country its first female Supreme Court judge in Justice Fathima Beevi. It also gave the first-ever female judge in Anna Chandy.

Two Judges Sworn In On Wednesday

The four sitting female judges are Justice Anu Sivaraman, Justice Mary Joseph, Justice V Shersy and Justice MR Anitha. On Wednesday, two more judges named Justice Sophy Thomas and Justice CS Sudha were sworn in to make it a total of six female judges in the High Court. According to Onmanorama, Justice Sophy Thomas was the first woman registrar of the High Court whereas Justice CS Sudha was the judge at the Ernakulam Principal Sessions court. Not only that, she was the first director of the state's Judicial Academy.

The total number of judges has gone on to 41. Apart from the historic oath taken by the two female judges, the Kottayam Principal District Judge, C Jayachandran, and PG Ajith Kumar, a high court registrar, were also sworn in.

A Positive Step

Indeed, this is a great step towards gender equality in the country's judiciary. Quoted by the Hindustan Times, senior lawyer and former director-general of prosecution T Asaf Ali lauded this. He said, "It is a glorious chapter in the judicial history of the state. Usually, women judges' numbers will be minuscule in higher courts. This is the first time six women judges are taking up their position in the High Court." A Supreme Court lawyer named M R Abhilash added, "It is a welcome trend as it recognises the long expectations and aspirations of women law officers."

However, there is still a lot of work to be done. T Asaf Ali believes that there should be more women judges in the judiciary. "It is a good day for the judiciary but we need more. I am sure the situation will change as women are taking up judicial positions," he said. Also, lawyer M R Abhilash felt that this will be a source of inspiration for women to go down the legal route as a preferred choice of career.

Also Read: Rape Victim's Sexual History Not Ground To Absolve The Accused: Why Kerala HC's Recent Verdict Is Important?

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Writer : Akanksha Saxena
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Editor : Ankita Singh
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Creatives : Akanksha Saxena

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