India, March 27 -- Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has written to the chief justices of all 25 high courts, calling for urgent action to fill mounting judicial vacancies and urging them to prioritise the elevation of women judges as part of a broader push for diversity on constitutional benches.

In a letter sent last week, the CJI highlighted the scale of vacancies across the higher judiciary and stressed the need for high court collegiums to expedite recommendations, not just for existing posts but also for those likely to arise in the near future.

According to data placed before Parliament by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, 309 positions (27.5%) remain vacant in high courts against a sanctioned strength of 1,122 judges a...