New judge sworn in at Patna High Court

Patna: Justice Anshul Raj was sworn in as a judge of the Patna high court on Tuesday. The oath of office was administered by chief justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo in the centenary hall of the Patna high court building, in the presence of sitting and retired judges and advocates of the court.Born in 1971 in Patna, Justice Anshul is the elder son of senior advocate Yogesh Chandra Verma and historian Sushila Sahay. He completed his matriculation from Sir Ganesh Datt Pataliputra High School and passed his intermediate in science from Patna Science College. He later graduated from Patna University and obtained his law degree from Magadh University.After two unsuccessful attempts at the civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, Justice Anshul chose to pursue a legal career and was enrolled as an advocate in 2003.He began his practice at the Supreme Court under the mentorship of senior counsel and former acting chief justice of the Patna high court Nagendra Rai. In 2009, he shifted his practice to the Patna high court, where he assisted his father and senior counsel Yogesh Chandra Verma, as well as state govt counsel Arvind Ujjwal.A versatile legal practitioner, Justice Anshul argued several landmark cases, including a significant matter before the Patna high court concerning the right to reproductive choice of an HIV-positive adult woman. The petitioner had sought medical termination of pregnancy beyond the statutory limit of 20 weeks, stating that the pregnancy resulted from rape. The case culminated in an order on April 26, 2017, directing the Bihar govt to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation and ensure social security for the child of the terminally ill mother.Justice Anshul was designated as a senior advocate of the Patna high court on Dec 18, 2024. Subsequently, a three-judge collegium of the Supreme Court recommended his elevation as a judge of the same high court on Feb 24 last year. The President of India appointed him as a judge of the Patna high court on Jan 23 this year.