Justice Gita Mittal becomes first woman Chief Justice of J&K High Court; 5 things to know about her

— By Sonali Pimputkar | Aug 07, 2018 06:15 pm

In its nine decades-long history, the Jammu and Kashmir have got its first woman Chief Justice as well as the first woman judge. Justice Gita Mittal, the acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the J&K High Court. President Ram Kovind on August 3 issued a notification in this regard. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 95 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the President is pleased to appoint Sindhu Sharma and Rashid Ali Dar to be judges of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in that order of seniority, with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices,” a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry said on Friday. Along with the appointment of the Chief Justice, the J&K High Court has also appointed two judges, including a woman.

According to a notification issued by the Department of Justice of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, President has appointed retired Principal and District Judge Srinagar, Rashid Ali Dar and Assistant Solicitor General Sindhu Sharma as judges for the J&K High Court.

Here are five points to know about the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal:


  1. In 2008, Justice Gita Mittal was felicitated with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Vice President of India, awarded by the Lady Shriram College for Women.
  2. She was invited by Pope Francis to speak at a summit of Judges and Prosecutors on Human Trafficking.
  3. Mittal has extensively written on the protection of human rights, the impact of incarceration on women, corporate social responsibility, the impact of religion, corporate laws and environmental laws and issues, among others.
  4. She is the first women from the field of law and justice to be conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest civilian honour for women.
  5. Mittal is the Chairman of the Court Committees on the Delhi High Court’s Mediation Centre which deals with sexual offense cases and child witnesses.