The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has formally flagged a glaring gender gap in India’s top judiciary no woman judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court since 2021. In a resolution passed on August 30, 2025, the SCBA expressed "grave concern" over the minimal representation of women in both apex and high courts across the country.

Data from legal analysts highlight the urgency: 28 judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court since 2021, none of them women. The last woman elevated was Justice Hima Kohli in 2021.

This underrepresentation isn’t new historically, women have comprised just about 4% of all Supreme Court judges, with only 11 women ever appointed in its 75-year history.

Senior advocates, including Justice B.V. Nagarathna, vocalized their frustration over the Collegium’s “deafening silence” and the lack of transparency in appointment processes reflecting a broader demand for institutional reform and gender balance.