In a groundbreaking moment for India's judiciary, four high courts will have women chief justices simultaneously for the first time. The Union government has appointed Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai as the next chief justice of the Patna High Court, succeeding Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo on June 4.
With this appointment, Indian high courts will have four serving women chief justices: Justice Sunita Agarwal at the Gujarat High Court, Justice Revati Mohite Dere at the Meghalaya High Court, and Justice Lisa Gill at the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
This development marks a significant milestone in increasing women's representation in the higher judiciary, an issue that has been a topic of discussion among judges, lawyers, and parliamentary committees.
Justice Rai, a senior-most woman judge, has been a judge of the Sikkim High Court since April 2015 and has served as acting chief justice of the Sikkim High Court. She is the daughter of former Sikkim home secretary Madan Mohan Rasaily and has a strong background in law, having practiced before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.
