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List of female judges of the Supreme Court of India

Updated: Wikipedia source

List of female judges of the Supreme Court of India

This is a list of women judges of the Supreme Court of India, the highest court in the Republic of India. The list is arranged in chronological order. The first woman to become a judge of the Supreme Court was Fathima Beevi, appointed on 6 October 1989. There have been 11 women justices in the court since then. Currently, there is just one sitting women judge out of the total 34 – Justice B. V. Nagarathna. Justice Nagarathna is also set to be the first female Chief Justice of India in September 2027, with a tenure of just 36 days, the third shortest in history.

Tables

· List of Judges in chronology
Fathima Beevi
Fathima Beevi
No.
1
Name
Fathima Beevi
Date of appointment
6 October 1989
Date of retirement
29 April 1992
Tenure
2 years, 206 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Judge of the Kerala High Court
Notes
First female judge of the Supreme Court of India
Sujata Manohar
Sujata Manohar
No.
2
Name
Sujata Manohar
Date of appointment
8 November 1994
Date of retirement
27 August 1999
Tenure
4 years, 292 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court
Ruma Pal
Ruma Pal
No.
3
Name
Ruma Pal
Date of appointment
28 January 2000
Date of retirement
2 June 2006
Tenure
6 years, 125 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Judge of the Calcutta High Court
Notes
Longest-serving female judge of the Supreme Court of India
Gyan Sudha Misra
Gyan Sudha Misra
No.
4
Name
Gyan Sudha Misra
Date of appointment
30 April 2010
Date of retirement
27 April 2014
Tenure
3 years, 362 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court
Ranjana Desai
Ranjana Desai
No.
5
Name
Ranjana Desai
Date of appointment
13 September 2011
Date of retirement
29 October 2014
Tenure
3 years, 46 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Judge of the Bombay High Court
R. Banumathi
R. Banumathi
No.
6
Name
R. Banumathi
Date of appointment
13 August 2014
Date of retirement
19 July 2020
Tenure
5 years, 341 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court
Indu Malhotra
Indu Malhotra
No.
7
Name
Indu Malhotra
Date of appointment
27 April 2018
Date of retirement
13 March 2021
Tenure
2 years, 320 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Member of the High Level Committee in the Ministry of Law and Justice
Notes
First woman judge who was elevated directly from the Bar Council of India
Indira Banerjee
Indira Banerjee
No.
8
Name
Indira Banerjee
Date of appointment
7 August 2018
Date of retirement
23 September 2022
Tenure
4 years, 47 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
Hima Kohli
Hima Kohli
No.
9
Name
Hima Kohli
Date of appointment
31 August 2021
Date of retirement
1 September 2024
Tenure
3 years, 1 day
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court
Bela Trivedi
Bela Trivedi
No.
10
Name
Bela Trivedi
Date of appointment
31 August 2021
Date of retirement
9 June 2025
Tenure
3 years, 282 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Judge of the Gujarat High Court
B. V. Nagarathna
B. V. Nagarathna
No.
11
Name
B. V. Nagarathna
Date of appointment
31 August 2021
Date of retirement
29 October 2027
Tenure
6 years, 59 days
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Judge of the Karnataka High Court
Notes
Assumed to be the first female Chief Justice of India in 2027.
No.
Portrait
Name
Date of appointment
Date of retirement
Tenure
Immediate prior post before elevation to Supreme Court
Notes
1
Fathima Beevi
6 October 1989
29 April 1992
2 years, 206 days
Judge of the Kerala High Court
First female judge of the Supreme Court of India
2
Sujata Manohar
8 November 1994
27 August 1999
4 years, 292 days
Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court
3
Ruma Pal
28 January 2000
2 June 2006
6 years, 125 days
Judge of the Calcutta High Court
Longest-serving female judge of the Supreme Court of India
4
Gyan Sudha Misra
30 April 2010
27 April 2014
3 years, 362 days
Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court
5
Ranjana Desai
13 September 2011
29 October 2014
3 years, 46 days
Judge of the Bombay High Court
6
R. Banumathi
13 August 2014
19 July 2020
5 years, 341 days
Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court
7
Indu Malhotra
27 April 2018
13 March 2021
2 years, 320 days
Member of the High Level Committee in the Ministry of Law and Justice
First woman judge who was elevated directly from the Bar Council of India
8
Indira Banerjee
7 August 2018
23 September 2022
4 years, 47 days
Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
9
Hima Kohli
31 August 2021
1 September 2024
3 years, 1 day
Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court
10
Bela Trivedi
31 August 2021
9 June 2025
3 years, 282 days
Judge of the Gujarat High Court
11
B. V. Nagarathna
31 August 2021
29 October 2027
6 years, 59 days
Judge of the Karnataka High Court
Assumed to be the first female Chief Justice of India in 2027.

References

  1. Live Law
    https://www.livelaw.in/in-a-first-supreme-court-has-three-sitting-woman-judges-today/
  2. qz.com
    https://qz.com/india/1262587/indu-malhotra-indias-supreme-court-is-getting-its-seventh-female-judge-in-nearly-70-years/
  3. "Justice BV Nagarathna to become part of Supreme Court Collegium from …"
    https://archive.today/20250622025929/https://indialegallive.com/constitutional-law-news/courts-news/justice-bv-nagarathna-to-become-part-of-supreme-court-collegium-from-may-26/
  4. "In 70th Year of Independence, India's Supreme Court to Get Seventh Woman Judge"
    https://thewire.in/gender/70th-year-independence-indias-supreme-court-get-seventh-woman-judge
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