Gujarat High Court gets Sonia Gokani as 1st woman Chief Justice, only for 9 days

AHMEDABAD:  Justice Sonia G Gokani took oath as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on Thursday, becoming the state’s first female chief justice. She will serve as Chief Justice for nine days before retiring on February 25. Justice Gokani was sworn in by Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar in the presence of CM Bhupendra Patel and Justice Bela M. Trivedi, a Supreme Court justice, among others.

The Supreme Court Collegium recommended Justice Gokani’s nomination on February 9 following the appointment of Aravind Kumar, the previous Chief Justice, to the SC. She is currently the Gujarat HC’s  most senior judge.

Gokani will retire on February 25, after only nine days in a top judicial position. She was born in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on February 26, 1961 and began her judicial career as an advocate with organizations helping with the causes of women, children, and oppressed, even  environment.

Gokani was a part-time lecturer in Jamnagar and a long-time participant in the district’s forum for the resolution of consumer issues. She presided over numerous civil and criminal cases while serving as a judge at Ahmedabad’s municipal civil and sessions court. 

From 2003 to 2008, she served as a judge for the special court established under anti-terror laws and presided over significant cases. She also worked as a special judge for cases investigated by the CBI.