President Kovind highlights low representation of weaker sections in judiciary

President Ram Nath Kovind stressed on Saturday that there was unacceptably low representation of traditionally weaker sections especially in the higher judiciary.

"Of the 17,000 judges in our subordinate courts, the high court and the Supreme Court only about 4,700 are women. In addition, there is an unacceptably low representation of traditionally weaker sections such as OBCs, SCs and STs, especially in the higher judiciary," President Kovind said while inaugurating a two-day conference on the occasion of National Law Day.

"Without compromising on quality, we need to take long-term measures to remedy this situation. Like other public institutions, our judiciary too has to be judicious in being representative of the diversity of our country and the breadth and depth of our society. In the age of communication, we must use it to speed up justice delivery system," he added.

The President also called upon the legal fraternity to provide free legal services to the poor since they could not afford fees.

The National Law Day is marked on November 26. On this day, the Constituent Assembly agreed on the final draft of the constitution in 1949.