NEW DELHI: DMK MP and Supreme Court lawyer P Wilson claimed on Thursday that the higher judiciary suffers from a “diversity deficit” and that it is not indicative of the country’s diverse and pluralistic society.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Supreme Court Advocates Forum, Wilson said judicial diversity is “fundamental to the quality of judging” and a poor representation of many groups may mean that their rights are not being properly safeguarded.
According to a statement, Wilson said, “The present trend shows that the representation of socially-marginalised groups remains dismal. The percentage of women judges has fallen more drastically. Significant over-representation of certain sections calls into question the objectivity of the present system and its inability to recruit from different social groups.”
There is much to gain from having a judiciary that reflects the society in all its diversity, he said, adding that more diversity in the high courts and Supreme Court is also about improving the quality of judgments as there will be more varied experiences and perspectives.
Amore diverse higher judiciary would increase public confidence, he said.
Noting that constitutional reservations have not been implemented in the higher judiciary, Wilson cited a government reply to his parliamentary question that of the 684 high court judges appointed from 2018 to 2023, only 3% belong to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), 2% to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 11.9% to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), whereas more than 82% belong to the general castes.