New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) DMK MP and Supreme Court lawyer P Wilson claimed on Thursday that the higher judiciary suffers from a "diversity deficit" and that it is not indicative of the country's diverse and pluralistic society.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Supreme Court Advocates Forum, Wilson said judicial diversity is "fundamental to the quality of judging" and a poor representation of many groups may mean that their rights are not being properly safeguarded.

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According to a statement, Wilson said, "The present trend shows that the representation of socially-marginalised groups remains dismal. The percentage of women judges has fallen more drastically. Significant over-representation of certain sections calls into question the objectivity of the current system and its inability to recruit from different social groups."

There is much to gain from having a judiciary that reflects the society in all its diversity, he said, adding that more diversity in the high courts and Supreme Court is also about improving the quality of judgments as there will be more varied experiences and perspectives.

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A more diverse higher judiciary would increase public confidence, he said.

Noting that constitutional reservations have not been implemented in the higher judiciary, Wilson cited a government reply to his parliamentary question that of the 684 high court judges appointed from 2018 to 2023, only 3 per cent belong to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), 2 per cent to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 11.9 per cent to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), whereas more than 82 per cent belong to the general castes.

"From 1950 till now only, six SC judges were appointed in the Supreme Court. Only one judge in history has come from an ST background, despite STs constituting 8.6 per cent of India's population," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)