Bihar State Legal Services Authority Achieves Landmark Milestone: Entire Office To Be Led by Female Judicial Officers

The following judicial officers have been entrusted with these crucial roles:

1. Shilpee Soniraj - District and Sessions Judge, Lakhisarai, has been appointed as the Member Secretary of BSLSA, reflecting her experience and commitment to the legal domain.

2. Dhriti Jasleen Sharma - Assumes the role of Joint Secretary, bringing her expertise to contribute to the effective functioning of the BSLSA.

3. Vibha Dwivedi - Appointed as Registrar, Vibha Dwivedi will play a pivotal role in overseeing the administrative affairs of BSLSA.

4. Arti Kumari and Neha Niharika - The Assistant Registrar positions will be held by Arti Kumari and Neha Niharika, contribute their skills to support the smooth operation of BSLSA.

This collective appointment marks the first time in the history of the Patna High Court that an entire office is being led and operated by female judicial officers.

This development is particularly noteworthy in light of a recent article by Live Law titled, Case Arrears, Infrastructure Problems, Gender Disparity : Crisis Looms Over Bihar Judiciary, which discussed about the lack of women representation in the Bihar Judiciary.

The article, highlighted the stark gender imbalance within the Patna High Court, which, until now, had not seen a single woman serving as a judge. Over the course of its 100-year history, the High Court has only appointed nine women judges, constituting less than one percent of the total judicial appointments.

This dearth of representation extends to the realm of Senior Advocates, with only one designated female Senior Advocate currently serving in the Patna High Court. Over the course of its history, the High Court has designated a mere three women as Senior Advocates.

However, in a recent development, the Patna High Court welcomed Justice Gunnu Anupama Chakravarthy as a new addition to its bench. Justice Chakravarthy was sworn in as a judge on November 2, 2023, in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, and hails from the Telangana High Court.