Mumbai Finally Appoints A Woman As Chief Justice After 22 Long Years

In a country where women have spent decades, if not centuries, being subjugated and maligned by men, each and every step forward is an uphill battle. Today with the appointment of Majula Chellur as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, we have mounted a new peak and hopefully, we will continue to rise from here. Previously the Chief Justice of the Kolkata High Court she was already well established in her field, she is however not the first woman to have risen to this challenge and today fills the shoes of Sujata Moanohar who was appointed to the post in 1994.

She is to replace Chief Justice Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela who hailed from Gujarat and retired from the position on the 10th of this month. According to a notification by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, Justice Girish Chandra Gupta who is the senior most judge currently at the Kolkata High Court will act as the interim Chief Justice to Kolkata.

She began her career by getting her Law Degree in 1977 and subsequently joined as a district judge in the Karnataka justice system. Her rise was nothing short of meteoric and by 2000, she was a permanent member of the Karnataka High Court. Today, as she steps forward to accept this new accolade she symbolises the many times a woman was sidelined or under-appreciated. She may only be the second woman to assume this position but we sincerely hope she will inspire many more to follow in her footsteps.

Words: Shireen Jamooji