New Delhi: Senior Advocate V. Mohana has made history by becoming the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India in nearly five years, marking a significant milestone for gender representation in the country’s highest judiciary.
With her elevation, the Supreme Court now has two sitting women judges—Justice V. Mohana and Justice B.V. Nagarathna. Until Mohana’s appointment, Justice Nagarathna was the only woman judge serving on the apex court.
Supreme Court Gets New Woman Judge After Long Gap
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, recommended the elevation of V. Mohana along with four High Court Chief Justices on May 27. The Central Government approved the recommendations on May 31, and the newly appointed judges took oath shortly thereafter.
Justice Mohana is the first woman to join the Supreme Court since August 2021, when Justices Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna, and Bela M. Trivedi were elevated to the apex court.
Her appointment also makes her only the second woman lawyer in Indian history to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court, following former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra.
A Landmark Career in Law
A first-generation lawyer, V. Mohana began her legal career in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, in 1988. She moved to Delhi in 1992 and worked in the chambers of Indu Malhotra, who later became a Supreme Court judge.
Mohana also trained under Senior Advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan and successfully cleared the prestigious Advocates-on-Record (AoR) Examination in 1996. Her contributions to the legal profession were recognized when she was designated as a Senior Advocate in 2015.
Four High Court Chief Justices Also Elevated
Alongside V. Mohana, the Centre approved the elevation of four High Court Chief Justices to the Supreme Court:
- Justice Sheel Nagu
- Justice Shree Chandrashekhar
- Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva
- Justice Arun Palli
These appointments have increased the Supreme Court’s working strength to 37 judges, just one short of its sanctioned strength of 38 judges.
Women’s Representation in the Supreme Court
The highest number of women judges serving simultaneously in the Supreme Court was four, between August 2021 and September 2022, when Justices Indira Banerjee, Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna, and Bela M. Trivedi were on the bench together.
Following the retirements of Justice Indira Banerjee, Justice Hima Kohli, and Justice Bela Trivedi, the number of women judges declined significantly. Legal observers view Mohana’s appointment as an important step toward improving diversity and representation within India’s highest judicial institution.
Her elevation is being widely welcomed by members of the legal fraternity and advocates of greater gender inclusion in the judiciary.
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