In a historic first for the Indian judiciary, four women are currently serving simultaneously as regular Chief Justices of the High Courts of Patna, Gujarat, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, marking a significant milestone in gender representation in the higher judiciary.
The development follows the appointment of Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. With her elevation, four High Courts across the country are now headed by women Chief Justices at the same time. The other women presently serving as Chief Justices are Justice Sunita Agarwal of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Revati Mohite Dere of the Meghalaya High Court and Justice Lisa Gill of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Justice Sunita Agarwal, who was elevated from the Allahabad High Court, has been serving as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court since July 23, 2023. Justice Revati Mohite Dere, formerly a judge of the Bombay High Court, assumed office as Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court on January 10, 2026. Justice Lisa Gill, who was elevated from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, took oath as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on April 25, 2026.
The development marks a significant step towards greater gender diversity in constitutional courts, an issue that has repeatedly featured in discussions relating to judicial appointments and inclusiveness within the justice delivery system.
According to data placed by the Union Government before Parliament earlier this year, there were 116 women judges out of a working strength of 781 judges across the High Courts as of February 2026, constituting approximately 14.85 per cent of the sitting High Court judiciary.
Although India has previously witnessed four women heading High Courts simultaneously, this is the first instance in which all four are serving as regular Chief Justices. In the earlier instance in 2018, one of the four, Justice Nishita Nirmal Mhatre, was serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. The other three were Justice Indira Banerjee at the Madras High Court, Justice Manjula Chellur at the Bombay High Court and Justice G Rohini at the Delhi High Court.
Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai’s appointment to the Patna High Court has set a new benchmark in the history of the Indian judiciary, reflecting the gradual, though still limited, increase in women’s representation in senior judicial leadership positions.
The post First-ever: Four women simultaneously serve as High Court Chief Justices in India appeared first on India Legal.