Seven all-women benches to sit at Karnataka High Court's Dharwad wing on August 1

The Karnataka High Court's Dharwad wing will feature seven all-women benches on August 1, a first in its history. This special Saturday sitting is in response to a request from the Advocates' Association committee members. The division and single-judge benches will be comprised of experienced women judges, making this a significant milestone for gender representation in constitutional courts across India.

The Karnataka High Court's Dharwad wing has announced that it will have seven all-women benches sitting on August 1, marking a first in its history. This development is the result of a request made by the committee members of the Advocates' Association to have a special Saturday sitting with only women judges. The significance of this move cannot be overstated, as it highlights the growing importance of gender representation in constitutional courts across India.

Historically, all-women benches have been a rarity in Indian constitutional courts. Even the Supreme Court has seen only a handful of such benches, with the first one being constituted in 2013 and comprising Justices Ranjana Desai and Gyan Sudha Misra. The second was in 2018 and comprised of Justices R Banumathi and Indira Banerjee. In 2022, another all-women bench was constituted at the Supreme Court comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Bela M Trivedi. Later in 2023 came a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Hima Kohli. High Courts have seen even fewer all-women benches, with Kerala High Court being the only recorded instance.

The significance of this development cannot be overstated. It highlights the growing importance of gender representation in constitutional courts across India. The fact that seven all-women benches will be sitting on August 1 at the Karnataka High Court's Dharwad wing is a testament to the efforts being made to promote diversity and inclusion in the judiciary. However, it also raises questions about the sustainability of such initiatives and whether they can lead to more significant changes in the long run.

The establishment of all-women benches at the Karnataka High Court's Dharwad wing is a significant development that highlights the growing importance of gender representation in constitutional courts across India. As the judiciary continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see whether this trend continues and leads to more significant changes in the long run.