Ritu Bahri Took Oath as the First Woman Chief Justice of Uttarakhand HC

Justice Ritu Bahri was today sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court. Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Retd)  administered the oath.

About Justice Ritu Bahri

• With this appointment, Justice Ritu Bahri has become the first woman in the history of the Uttarakhand High Court to hold the post of Chief Justice.
• Earlier, she served as a senior judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj, Higher Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi and other dignitaries were present.

About High Court

• The state of Uttarakhand was created on 09/11/2000 by separating it from the erstwhile state of Uttar Pradesh. 
• At the time of the creation of the state, the Uttarakhand High Court was also established in Nainital on the same day. 
• Since that day the High Court has been functioning in an old building at Mallital, Nainital which was known as the Old Secretariat.
• The High Court building is very magnificent and was constructed in 1900 AD. There is a park in front of the building and Naina Peak in the background, which is the highest peak of Nainital, makes the building more picturesque. Initially five court rooms were built but later more court rooms were added. 
• A spacious Chief Justice Court Block and a block of lawyers' chambers were also constructed in the year 2007.
• At the time of construction, the sanctioned number of judges was 7, which was increased to 9 in 2003.

Appointment of Chief Justice of High Court

• In case of initial appointment of a Chief Justice of a High Court, the provisions of Article 217 will have to be followed.
• The process for appointing a Chief Justice of a High Court in India involves the Chief Justice of India sending a recommendation to the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs. 
• The recommendation is made in consultation with the two most senior Judges of the Supreme Court, who provide their views on the suitability of the candidate. 
• The Chief Justice of India also seeks the opinion of the senior-most colleague in the Supreme Court who is familiar with the affairs of the High Court where the recommendation has been served. It does not matter whether the consulted Judge of the Supreme Court had that High Court as Parent High Court or was transferred there from any other High Court.
• Once the Chief Justice of India has received the views of the Judges of the Supreme Court, he submits them along with his proposal to the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs. 
• The Minister then obtains the views of the concerned State Government. After receiving the views of the State Government, the Minister submits proposals to the Prime Minister, who advises the President on the selection.
• Once the President approves the appointment, the Department of Justice announces the appointment and issues the necessary notification in the Gazette of India.