Karnataka High Court's Dharwad Bench Sets All-Women Special Sitting
Yesterday, the Karnataka High Court announced a special all-women sitting scheduled for August 1, featuring exclusively female judges and state law officers.
The Karnataka High Court is set to convene an all-women sitting, a session where the bench, law officers, and court staff will comprise only women. This event marks a notable moment for gender representation within the Indian judiciary, highlighting the presence of women in senior legal roles. The sitting is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 31, 2026.
The Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench will convene an all-women sitting on August 1, with every division bench, single-judge bench, law officer and government pleader comprising women. Advocate-General Shashi Kiran Shetty issued the notification on Thursday allotting work to government advocates for the special session, directing that only women law officers represent the state government before the bench (Indian Express).
The roster, issued by the Dharwad bench on July 23, lists ten women judges who will preside. 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 will sit across three division benches and four single-judge benches (Indian Express). The law officers travelling to Dharwad on Friday include Additional Government Advocates Nandini Somapur, Pramodhini Kishan, Savithramma, Sunita Sequeria, B P Radha, Mamatha Shetty, Mala B Bhoote, Hemalatha V and Prathibha R K, along with High Court Government Pleaders Spoorthy V, Girija Hiremath, Rashmi Patel, Rashmi Rao, Kirtilata R Patil, Ratnamala, Chandini S, Sowmya R, Waheeda and Deepthi Alva (Indian Express).
The arrangement originated from a request the Dharwad Advocates’ Association sent to Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru in March, coinciding with International Women’s Day. Association president B D Hiremath described the sitting as a symbol of gender justice and empowerment that would inspire young women advocates, law students and female legal practitioners across North Karnataka and the nation (Indian Express).
Indian Express