Quoting Robert Frost in her farewell speech and talking about the glass ceiling, Justice Gita Mittal was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court on August 11.
The court’s registrar general read out the warrant of Mittal’s appointment after which she administered the oath of office by Governor NN Vohra at a ceremony at Srinagar’s Raj Bhavan.
Among those who attended the oath-taking ceremony were former Chief Ministers Farooq and Omar Abdullah, Governor’s advisors, serving and former judges, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmayan and Director General of Police SP Vaid.
Justice Mittal served as a Delhi high court judge for 14 years, of which 15 months were as the Acting Chief Justice and was questioned on several occasions by people who asked whether she had broken through the glass ceiling after her elevation as the first women Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and her answer was “it is not about arriving at a position”.
“The glass ceiling is broken when you make a difference to someone below you, when you uplift someone so that they can walk ahead of you. I have not done that and I have miles to go before I sleep,” she said while speaking at the full court reference held in the high court here to bid farewell to her.
Justice Mittal suggested that the next generation of lawyers use ethical, fair and honest means when handling cases.
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