Journalism of Courage
Only women judges to preside over this Karnataka High Court bench on August 1
All seven benches of the Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench will be presided over by women judges on August 1.
The Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench has three division benches and four single benches.(Image generated using AI)
In a first, all benches of the Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench will be presided over exclusively by women judges on August 1. The historic roster order was issued on July 23 after the Dharwad Advocates’ Association sent a request to Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru in March in light of International Women’s Day.
The Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench has seven benches. While three division benches will have two women judges each, four single benches will be presided over by four women judges.
As per the notification issued by the high court’s Dharwad bench, the women judges who will preside are Justices Anu Sivaraman, K G Shanthi, Jyoti M, P Sree Sudha, Lalitha Kanneganti, K S Hemalekha, Dr Chillakur Sumalatha, Tara Vitasta Ganju, Geetha K B, and Rajeshwari N Hegde.
“The sitting is a symbol of gender justice and empowerment and will be a source of inspiration to young women advocates, law students, and female legal practitioners across North Karnataka and the nation,” B D Hiremath, president of the Dharwad Advocates Association, told The Indian Express.
The association has written to Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, expressing gratitude and congratulating him on creating history in the Indian judiciary by constituting all-women special benches. The letter says this sitting is a “pathbreaking and historic first” and the decision demonstrates gender equality at the highest echelons of the judiciary.
The association, in its letter, said the Chief Justice’s decision to choose the Dharwad Bench for this historic milestone has bestowed “immense prestige” on the regional bench and reinforced faith in decentralisation and institutional elevation of justice.
It noted that advocates of North Karnataka have consistently supported judicial accessibility and institutional strengthening. The association assured “complete support, reverence, and active cooperation” to ensure smooth conduct of the special proceedings on August 1.
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