In reply to a question in Parliament, The Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju said that of the 569 High Court judges who have appointed since 2018, only 105 belonged to weaker sections of society.
The information was based on the category or caste indicated by recommended judges in their bio datas, that indicatesd that 64 judges are from Other Backward Classes (OBC), 15 are from minority communities, 17 are from Scheduled Castes (SC), and 9 are from Scheduled Tribes (ST).
While replying to the question by the Assam Lok Sabha MP Naba Kumar Sarania, Law minister revealed that as on March 16, 2023, the High Court Collegiums have recommended 124 names for the appointment as High Court judges which is under consideration with the Central government and the Supreme Court Collegium. Out of these, only 4 belong to SCs and 3 belong to STs.
However while replying to this question, Law minister stated that there is no such data on advocates from the SC and ST communities who have been designated as Senior Advocates and Advocates on Record in the Supreme Court and the High Courts.