In a first, four women to head Indian high courts simultaneously; only second such instance

IN a historical number one for the higher judicatory, quaternion heights courts across the country are set to simultaneously have women chief justices after the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recommended the appointment of Sikkim High Court judge Justice Meenakshi M Rai as the chief justice of the Patna High Court.The collegium, in a resolution passed on May 22, recommended Justice Rai’s elevation consequent upon the retirement of incumbent Patna High Court chief, Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, on June 4.“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 22nd May, 2026 has recommended appointment of Ms Justice Meenakshi M Rai, Judge, High Court of Sikkim as Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Patna, consequent upon retirement of incumbent Chief Justice on 4th June, 2026,” the resolution stated. The collegium also included justices Vikram Nath and JK Maheshwari.Also Read: Supreme Court takes cognisance of Twisha Sharma death case, CJI to hear matter tomorrowWith Justice Rai’s appointment, Indian high courts will, for the first time, have four serving women chief justices simultaneously. The other women presently heading high courts are Justice Sunita Agarwal at the Gujarat High Court, Justice Revati Mohite Dere at the Meghalaya High Court and Justice Lisa Gill at the Andhra Pradesh High Court. There are 25 high courts in India.The development marks another milestone in the slow but visible increase in women’s representation in the higher judiciary, an issue repeatedly flagged by judges, lawyers and parliamentary panels.Also Read: Supreme Court divided on UAPA bail as appeal for larger bench made before CJIAccording to data placed by the Union law ministry in Parliament earlier this year, 170 women judges have been appointed to various high courts since 2014, including 96 in the last five years alone, while six women have been elevated to the Supreme Court during the same period. The government stated that appointments are made only after recommendations by the Supreme Court collegium and added that high courts are encouraged to consider women candidates to enhance social diversity in the judiciary.To be sure, this will be only the second known instance of four women simultaneously heading high courts in the country; however, in the earlier instance in 2017, one of the four was serving as an acting chief justice and not as a regular chief justice appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium.Justice Rai, who has been a judge of the Sikkim High Court since April 2015, is among the senior-most women judges presently serving in the constitutional courts. Born in July, 1964, she is the daughter of former Sikkim home secretary Madan Mohan Rasaily. She enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1990 and practised before the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court before returning to Sikkim.Also Read: Supreme Court drops adverse remarks against 3 NCERT book expertsShe has also served as acting chief justice of the Sikkim High Court but this tenure was not without controversy. In a development earlier reported by HT, Justice Rai had in December 2025 withdrawn certain post-retirement facilities extended to her predecessor, Justice Biswanath Somadder, sparking a debate within judicial circles regarding conventions relating to retired chief justices and administrative propriety. Justice Rai not only undertook a sweeping overhaul of the high court registry and the district judiciary through transfers and fresh assignments, but also issued directions for the immediate withdrawal of security and facilities, including an official car and driver, that had been provided to Justice Somadder.The controversy has at the time reached the Supreme Court. CJI Kant and other senior judges of the top court, particularly Justice JK Maheshwari who had served as chief justice of the Sikkim High Court for nearly eight months before his elevation to the Supreme Court in August 2021, took note of the situation and were compelled to intervene swiftly to de-escalate what was emerging as a serious institutional crisis, especially in view of the imminent eviction of Justice Somadder and the broader implications of the other orders.The episode had triggered discussion over the extent of powers exercised by acting chief justices in matters concerning administrative benefits and protocol.The recommendation also assumes significance because the Patna High Court, one of the oldest constitutional courts in the country, has historically seen limited representation of women in senior judicial leadership positions.