Every court working day at around 10.30 am, a white hatchback enters the parking lot of the Madhubani District Court. By evening, it leaves quietly. In between, the backseat of that car functions as a legal chamber. Anita Jha, a senior lawyer in her late 50s, meets clients there. She drafts pleadings, prepares arguments, and plans legal strategy from the same seat.
For the last 13 years, Anita Jha has practised law from her car. She did not choose this space out of comfort. The court denied her a chamber. What followed shaped her daily resistance inside India’s justice system.
A Legal Practice Conducted on Four Wheels
From 10 am to 5 pm, Anita works from the backseat of her car. Files fill the seat. Clients sit beside her. Conversations about bail, evidence, and strategy unfold amid traffic noise and court announcements.
She travels nearly 12 kilometres every day from her village Kakraul to the court. She follows the same routine she has followed for over a decade. She arrives on time. She opens her car. She works throughout the day. She leaves without stepping into a chamber.
She has practised law for over 28 years. Yet the court never allotted her a workspace. The same denial applied to other women lawyers as well.
An Unfulfilled Assurance Within the Court Premises
In 2011, Anita demanded a separate chamber for women lawyers. Her demand followed established norms. Courts across India allot chambers to advocates.
After sustained pressure, authorities inaugurated a common space for women lawyers in 2013. Days later, officials removed the signboard. Male lawyers’ names replaced it.
The response turned hostile. Others removed her table and chair from the premises. Some lawyers mocked her. Others called her demand a sign of a “broken mind.” These events unfolded openly, inside the justice system.
Choosing Presence Over Exit
In early 2013, during a visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela, Anita considered leaving Madhubani. Isolation and exhaustion weighed on her.
She stopped herself. She realised that leaving would erase her identity as a lawyer in the district. She decided to stay.
That decision transformed her car into a chamber. What began as a temporary solution became a permanent act of protest. Anita calls her car her pratirodh—her resistance. It stands as a daily reminder of exclusion and persistence.
Three Cars, One Continuing Struggle
Her journey reflects through her cars. In 2013, she worked from a pink Zen, borrowed from her mother-in-law. Later, she used her mother’s red car. In 2022, she bought a white hatchback with her own earnings.
Each car carried her files and her clients. Each one allowed her to stay visible in a system that refused her space.
Entering the Legal Profession Against Expectations
Born in 1968, Anita married young. She continued her education. She completed her BA, MA, B.Ed., and Law degrees.
In 1989, she joined law college as the only woman in her batch. Her father, who worked in the courts, encouraged her. She entered a profession that rarely welcomed women in districts like Madhubani.
She prepared herself for resistance. The system delivered it.
Grief That Deepened Her Commitment
In 2013, Anita lost her husband after 27 years of marriage. Many believed grief would silence her.
It did not. Her work deepened. Her empathy grew stronger. She focused more sharply on cases involving women.
She began practising when Section 498A and dowry laws faced strong opposition. She represented women facing abuse when others refused. Over 28 years, she has handled nearly 20,000 cases, including matters under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Professional Authority Without Institutional Space
Anita commands respect despite lacking a chamber. Fellow lawyers describe her as one of the strongest criminal advocates in the district, especially in POCSO and cruelty cases.
Clients know where to find her. They wait near her car. They trust her work. Her authority comes from competence, not concrete walls.
What Her Story Reveals About Gendered Institutions
Anita Jha’s experience exposes gender bias within professional institutions. Courts promise equality. They often fail to deliver basic facilities to women.
Her story reflects the everyday barriers women professionals face in male-dominated systems. It also shows how women create their own spaces when institutions deny them access.
Continuing to Practise, Day After Day
Thirteen years later, Anita Jha still arrives every working day. She parks her car. She opens the backseat. She practises law.
She does not shout. She does not withdraw. She stays visible.
Sometimes, resistance does not raise slogans. Sometimes, it simply shows up on four wheels and refuses to disappear.
Clear Cut Gender Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Jan 28, 2026 05:00 IST
Written By: Samiksha Shambharkar
