In a significant step toward highlighting women’s participation in the legal profession, the Karnataka government has decided that only women law officers will represent the State before the Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad Bench on August 1. The move coincides with a historic court sitting where all seven benches at the Dharwad Bench will be presided over exclusively by women judges.
The decision was taken by Karnataka Advocate General K. Shashi Kiran Shetty, who issued an official notification assigning women law officers to appear before the various benches during the special sitting. The initiative is being viewed as a landmark moment for enhancing the visibility of women in the judiciary and government legal services.
Historic All-Women Representation
The Dharwad Bench will function with three Division Benches and four Single Benches, each headed by women judges. Correspondingly, the State has deployed an all-women team of Additional Government Advocates (AGAs), High Court Government Pleaders (HCGPs), and senior law officers to conduct government litigation before these benches.
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According to the official allocation, women law officers have been assigned to matters ranging from writ petitions and civil disputes to criminal cases, tax appeals, labour matters, family court appeals, service matters, and miscellaneous first appeals. Each bench has been provided with a dedicated team to ensure complete representation by women advocates throughout the day’s proceedings.
A Milestone for the Judiciary
Legal observers have described the arrangement as a rare and symbolic event showcasing the growing role of women across different levels of the justice system. While women judges will preside over every courtroom at the Dharwad Bench, women government advocates will present the State’s cases before them, creating an unprecedented all-women judicial and legal representation for the special sitting.
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The initiative follows the Karnataka High Court’s earlier announcement that all seven benches of the Dharwad Bench would sit exclusively with women judges on August 1, making it one of the most notable demonstrations of women’s leadership within the Indian judiciary.