Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant recently highlighted a troubling reality in the legal profession. He said that even though many women are now entering the profession in record numbers, only a tiny fraction continue long enough to build a strong and fulfilling career in law.

Women Join, But Few Stay:
He was speaking at the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) National Conference on “Reimagining Judicial Governance: Strengthening Institutions for Democratic Justice,” during the session titled “Inclusive Institutions and Women in the Legal Profession.” He pointed out that things look equal at the beginning—when students are in law school or just starting their careers. But this equality does not last as they move forward in their professional lives.

"There is a very growing trend in the last couple of years that women are joining the Bar. The problem starts after that. I think the question is that, are we able to maintain that equality at the subsequent stages of progression in professional life,” he stated.

CJI Kant praised a new national survey about the welfare of women advocates'. He said the survey is not just about identifying problems, but also gives practical solutions.

Bias in Work Opportunities:

He explained that the report clearly talks about issues like gender bias in work allocation, briefing, and empanelment, and also suggests ways to deal with them.

“The best part of the report is that it merely does not flag the problem or the issue or the challenge, it also tries to respond to it as to what can be the effective response to that, and the answer given is gender based discrimination in work allocation, briefing and empanelment,” he remarked.

Equality Must Be Real:

He emphasized that equality in the constitution should not remain only on paper, but must be seen in real life. He stressed that steps must be taken at different levels to make this happen.

“I personally believe that when we talk of equality within our constitutional framework, this equality is not merely on papers. So the equality has to be translated into the lived experiences, and for that we have to take initiative at different levels,” he said.

Push for 50% Representation:

He also suggested increasing the number of women in government empanelments and legal aid panels. He said it should be at least 50%, instead of the current 30%, as this would give women more opportunities and stability in their careers.

CJI Kant also said that women in the legal profession need basic support like maternity protection, financial help at the start of their careers, and safe workplaces. He described the survey report as an important guide for bringing reforms.

“So this report itself, to my mind, is a guide. It is a guidebook. It is something it really should hold as a smaller mini constitution for us, and we should follow all the analysis done in it,” he remarked.