Madhubani Bar Association refutes gender bias claims of lawyer Anita Jha, says district magistrate examining issue

“This matter is very old, and now there is a table and chair for every lawyer. There is not enough space for everyone here. Now, the court is also going to shift from here because of the crunch of space. Currently, our most senior lawyer sits without a chamber. I have won elections five times. I have served twice as secretary, twice as president, and once as vice-president, yet we still sit in the hall with our lawyers because I don’t have a chamber,” he said.

Anita had earlier claimed that she first requested a workspace for women in the court compound in 2011, saying that female counsel should have a chamber because they also worked nonstop in the courtroom from 10 am to 4 pm.

Basudeo, however, said that there is a hall for women lawyers beside the hall for male lawyers that was built on her application during that time, where 30 to 35 women lawyers sit now, but she did not sit there, and the issue had been raised before.

He further revealed about a laywer who has been practising in the court for 50 years without a chamber and sits with others in the hall.

“Everyone has a chair and a table in the hall, there is a table and chair for Anita ji also,” he said.

According to Basudeo, Sharma had called a meeting in relation to the issue on January 20.

“We have given all the available information to the collector (DM). I’ve told the collector to come and see. We don’t have a place to make a chamber. We don’t have the money to make a chamber. We also informed the collector that there is a place upstairs, and if he wants, he can make it, or if Anita ji wants, she can build a chamber, because we don’t have the funds. He assured us that he would make chambers especially for women in the available space,” Basudeo said.

‘I personally requested, but she refused to come’

The Madhubani Bar Association Secretary Shibnath Chaudhary said that a seat was already been allotted to Anita, but she did not sit there as she claimed to have taken “an oath that she will not go to the court compound”.

“What can we do then? That is her wish. It is not possible for us to allot a chamber for everyone,” Chaudhary said.

He said that there couldn’t be a chamber for everyone due to limited space and funds.

“There are no documents regarding Anita ji’s chamber request. Whoever was there in 2013 they have it with them. There is nothing else. Yes, she has definitely written to the DM for her chamber earlier. She claimed that she had once written the high court, and then the district judge was told that you can give her a chamber in the civil court premises. We did not get any direction or order from anyone,” he said.

He claimed that the allegation of humiliation is “all wrong” and a “made-up story”.

“It’s Anita ji’s call that she will not go to the court compound. And as far as her seat is concerned, it is still there, where she used to sit,” he added.

Chaudhary continued, “I became a secretary in 2023; she was also my supporter. She still supports me. She did not come to vote, but when I became secretary again, she also supported me. After that, I personally requested Anita ji to come and sit in the court compound. I will give you a place, but she did not come.”

The Indian Express reached out to Madhubani DM Sharma for his comments on the matter and sent queries over WhatsApp but received no response at the time of publication.