Madurai HC bench gets its first woman mace bearer

MADURAI: In a first at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, a woman has been appointed as mace bearer.

Justice N Mala is the first judge to utilise the services of the court’s first woman mace bearer. Clad in white churidar and red turban, she was holding a sceptre on the right hand while standing in front the Judge’s chamber on Monday. Lalitha, the woman mace bearer, is a native of Madurai. Her role is to assist the judge in court hall, sources said.

The mace bearer otherwise known as ‘chobdar,’ a position traditionally held by men, is an officer, who carries the mace and walks before a dignitary signifying their power.

In courts, the mace helps in free passage of judges between the court halls, sources said.

Earlier, in June this year, Madras High Court appointed a woman mace bearer, first of its kind in Tamil Nadu, sources said.