Centre Only Appoints Judges Who Have Its Ideology : Menaka Guruswamy In Rajya Sabha

Senior Advocate and Trinamool Congress legislator Menaka Guruswamy, in her maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha today, remarked that the government doesn't want to appoint judges who don't align with their political ideologies. She raised this issue during the debate in the Rajya Sabha over the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which intends to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38.

Guruswamy stated that the "problems of the judiciary" can't be solved by merely appointing more judges because the Centre doesn't want to appoint judges from diverse backgrounds. She said: "The problems of the judiciary are not going to be solved by passing an ordinance and increase of four more judges in the Supreme Court. The problems are that the central government will not appoint women to the judiciary, they will not appoint lower-caste people to the judiciary, they will not appoint religious minorities, gay people to the judiciary."

She added: "You[Centre] only appoint judges who you think have your ideology." The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, who was presiding over the session, however interrupted her to say that her statements will not go on the record.

Guruswamy pointed out that there are 30% vacancies in the High Court across the country. She added that only 14% of High Court judges are women. "Between scheduled caste, scheduled tribes, and women, they are under 20% of the judiciary."

Citing statistics that between 2018 and 2026, she said the government only appointed 3% Scheduled Caste judges and 2% Scheduled Tribes. Only 12% are OBC judges. "These are the issues...It is not about appointing four more judges; you solve issues when you work with the Constitution," she said.