DHARWAD / BENGALURU — The Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court scripted judicial history as women jurists and advocates completely took charge of both the Bench and the Bar in a special day-long sitting.

While constitutional courts across India have periodically constituted all-women division benches in the past, court observers noted that the Dharwad sitting marks a rare national milestone where women occupied both sides of the courtroom—the judiciary and the state’s legal representation—throughout all scheduled proceedings.

Seven Special Benches Formed

Under a notification issued by High Court Registrar (Judicial) Rona Vasudeva following directions from Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, ten women judges presided over proceedings across seven specially constituted benches—comprising three Division Benches and four Single-Judge Benches.

  • Division Bench I: Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice K.G. Shanthi handled preliminary hearings, applications, orders, and final hearings in assigned writ and civil matters.

  • Division Bench II: Justice Jyoti Mulimani and Justice P. Sree Sudha.

  • Division Bench III: Justice Lalitha Kanneganti and Justice K.S. Hemalekha.

  • Single-Judge Benches: Presided over by Justice Chillakur Sumalatha, Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju, Justice K.B. Geetha, and Justice Rajeshwari N. Hegde.

All-Women State Legal Panel Leads Arguments

Matching the composition of the judiciary, the Advocate General’s Office issued a dedicated order deploying an all-women team of state law officers to argue every matter on behalf of the Karnataka government across all seven courtrooms.

The legal team was spearheaded by Additional Advocate General Prathima Honnapura, with specific bench assignments delegated among senior law officers and government pleaders.

The state legal representative team included:

  • Additional Government Advocates: Nandini Somapur, Pramodhini Kishan, Savithramma, B.P. Radha, Sunita Sequeira, Mamatha Shetty, Mala B. Bhute, V. Hemalatha, and R.K. Pratibha.

  • Government Advocates: V. Spoorthi, Girija Hiremath, Rashmi Patel, Rashmi Rao, Keerthilata Patil, Ratnamala, S. Chandini, R. Soumya, Waheeda, and Deepti Alva.

A Landmark Step for Diversity in Law

Legal scholars and advocates across the state hailed the initiative as a defining moment for gender parity in the higher judiciary. The collaborative effort between the Bench and the Bar highlights the expanding role and leadership of women in shaping India's legal landscape.