Arjun Ram Meghwal and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant praised Kerala's pioneering women judges. Their remarks underscored the High Court's enduring role in building an inclusive judiciary.Kochi,Nov 1, 2026 16:14 ISTUnion Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday said the people of Kerala had shown the country the path towards women-led development, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Speaking at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Kerala High Court in Kochi, Meghwal said the court's 70-year journey had advanced the principles of women's empowerment and women-led development.Meghwal, the Union Minister of State for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, cited Justice Anna Chandy, India's first woman High Court judge, and Justice M Fathima Beevi, the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India.He said the two judges had shown that empowering women was central to achieving sustainable development. “The people of Kerala have shown the path to the country for women-led development,” PTI quoted Meghwal as saying.
In his inaugural address, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also referred to the two judges and said the Kerala High Court had distinguished itself by often remaining ahead of history.He said that when the higher judiciary was largely dominated by men, the Kerala High Court “was setting an example that the rest of the country would eventually follow”. Justice Kant said that after he took over as CJI, the collegium, probably influenced by the Kerala High Court's “pragmatic and progressive approach”, recently elevated two distinguished women judges to the Supreme Court.He also said he was probably influenced by the High Court's “visionary approach” when he passed a judicial order and persuaded most State Bar Councils, the Bar Council of India, and District and High Court Bar Associations to ensure 30 per cent representation for women lawyers.The CJI credited the Kerala High Court for these “historic steps”, saying its actions had led to strong, fair and effective representation for women lawyers at a time when lawyers' associations and councils were, as he put it in a lighter vein, known as the “Men's Club”.Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen also spoke about Justice Chandy and Justice Beevi, saying their pioneering achievements had broken barriers of gender and representation in the judiciary.“Justice Anna Chandy's achievement was a landmark in the history of women's participation in the administration of justice.
Justice M Fathima Beevi's career stands as an enduring testament to professional excellence, determination, and the principle that judicial institutions must remain open to talent and merit, irrespective of gender,” PTI quoted him as saying.Justice Sen said Justice K G Balakrishnan's elevation as the first Chief Justice of India from Kerala marked an important milestone in the continuing pursuit of a more representative and inclusive judiciary.“These achievements remain reminders that the strength of our institutions rests not only on the authority they exercise, but also on their ability to reflect the constitutional promise of equality and equal opportunity,” he said.The speakers at the anniversary celebrations highlighted the Kerala High Court's 70-year journey and its role in advancing women's representation, equality and inclusion in the judiciary.- Ends