Breaking Barriers: Madras High Court Gets Its First Woman Mace-Bearer (Chobdar)

The Madras High Court has appointed its first woman mace bearer who will be providing her services to justice RN Manjula. The High Court has been consistently appointing women in key positions, also hiring a woman driver who is adept at manoeuvring all kinds of motor vehicles.

First Woman Mace-Bearer At Madras HC

Primarily carrying maces before the judges, a Chobdar is the lowest cadre worker in a court. The mace-bearer ensures a free passage of Judges between the court halls. Since the job entails carrying around a heavy mace, it is largely men who are appointed as a Chobdar in a court. 

Last year on March 14, the High Court notified that it was recruiting 40 mace bearers and 310 office assistants. The court also had vacancies in the positions of cook, waterman, room boy, watchman, book restorer and librarian as mentioned on its official website. A report by The Hindu says that the High court was offering a salary at Pay Level- I of rupees 15,7000 to 50,000.  

Suggested Reading: Mumbai’s Laxmi Jadhav Becomes The First Woman To Drive BEST Bus

According to the 2021 recruitment announcement, the eligibility criteria for the position of mace bearer require the candidate to have passed the 8th standard or its equivalent. The candidate must be aged between 18 to 30 years. Candidates till 35 years of age belong to the reserved category of candidates. The criteria also requires them to write a common written assessment and take a practical as well as an oral test.

Carrying significance in the history of the High Court, the mace bearers are to ensure free passage to the judges when they walk back and forth from their chambers to the court halls. Male mace-bearers are supposed to wear a white shirt paired with a turban carrying the national emblem and a band around the waist. The uniform of a woman Chobdar is that of a white salwar kameez along with a dupatta as the turban.

The appointment of a woman Chobdar at Madras High Court breaks stigma that women are not suited for jobs that require lifting heavy objects, as she will be required to carry around a heavy mace. The visual of a woman mace-bearer on court premises could also inspire other women to apply for the post and thus take a step towards financial independence.

Feature Image Credit: PRO Chennai, Twitter.