Indira Jaising
Her
Story
According to Indira Jaising, the lack of diversity in the judiciary harms the quality of justice dispensed in the country. One of Jaising's main arguments is that the judiciary needs to reflect the diversity of the society it serves. This means having a balanced representation of different genders, classes, castes, religions, and other identities.
Jaising highlights that, in India, women are vastly underrepresented at all levels of the judiciary, from the lower courts to the Supreme Court. She elaborates that the underrepresentation of women in the legal system is due to the innate sexism and patriarchal settings of the Supreme Court.
Indira recalls that she has been referred to as ‘that woman’, ‘his wife’, and ‘my lady friend’ rather than her name or as counsel numerous times. It is an Old Boys Club, and this same behaviour pushes women away from this profession.
When it comes to solutions, she strongly advocates for the reservation of women in the judiciary. She emphasises that the workspace would be more democratic if there were more women judges in India.