Justice NV Ramana To Be Next CJI: Noting His Women-Centric Judgments & Observations

Justice NV Ramana judgments for women: Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde in a letter to the centre recommended Justice NV Ramana as his successor, following his retirement on April 23. Justice NV Ramana, currently the seniormost Supreme Court judge second only to CJI Bobde, will take charge as the 48th Chief Justice of India on April 24.

Justice NV Ramana hails from the Ponnavaram village in Andhra Pradesh, from a family that has a background in agriculture. He was enrolled as a practicing advocate in 1983. He has previously served as the Chief Justice of the Andhra and Delhi high courts between 2013 and 2014. He was elevated as an SC judge in 2014 and will retire in August 2022.

Justice NV Ramana Judgments For Women, Observations On Progress

Justice NV Ramana has been at the centre of several judgments that have proved to be key in pushing the fight for women's equal rights forward. Here's taking a look at some of them:

1. On the value of women's housework 

This year in January, a bench comprising Justices NV Ramana and Surya Kant observed that a woman homemaker's work was worth financial compensation and needed to be recognised. Serving this judgment in a 2014 case regarding the death of a couple and the consequent compensation for their relatives, the court increased the compensation amount to Rs 33.20 lakh in view of the deceased woman's contribution to housework.

This was understood to be a highly rewarding judgment for home-making women everywhere, adding weight to the debate on whether women must be paid for housework or not. Citing Census reports, Justice NV Ramana also observed that 159.85 million women mention “household work” as their primary occupation, and brought notice to the fact that the percentage of female unpaid caregivers and domestic workers is much higher than the male percentage.

2. On granting permanent commission to women in forces 

“Why are you harassing these women officers? This is discrimination.” This is how the Supreme Court bench led by Justice NV Ramana charged the Centre in 2018 over not granting permanent commission (PC) to women officers in the Indian armed forces. Observing that the government should not adopt a "discriminatory" approach, the court sought an early response from the centre on PCs for Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers.

"A vibrant and independent judiciary is required in the current times": Justice NV Ramana

A formal sanction greenlighting the grant of PCs for women officers was finally issued in 2020, ending a long-drawn 14-year-old battle for equal positions.

3. On making women aware of their legal rights

In 2020, Justice NV Ramana, as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched a campaign that would inform and make women aware of their legal rights and provisions that protect them. Titled Empowering Women through Legal Awareness, the initiative was a collaboration between NALSA and National Commission for Women.

Justice NV Ramana noted how "lack of awareness prevents women from utilising progressive policies," and that over 500 programmes would be held to spread awareness among women.

4. On oppressed sections' low access to justice systems 

Earlier this week on March 23, Justice NV Ramana noted how the Indian justice system was still inaccessible to many sections that lacked the privilege of approaching the system and understanding its processes. “When people cannot reach us, we should reach them," he said.

He specifically recalled an incident when an impoverished woman approached the court with the grievance of lawyer fee and legal advice being too expensive. "Sir, tell me then how people like us can even come to the courts," he said, repeating her words. He went on to expound the importance of legal counsel through aids and schemes, to bridge the gap between poverty and justice.