For the first time in the judicial history of our country, a woman will accede to the post of Chief Justice tomorrow, Thursday 18 November 2021. With the departure of the current Chief Justice Asraf Caunhye, it is Rehana Mungly-Gulbul who will succeed him in this position.
Bibi Rehana Gulbul-Mungly will make history by being the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice after 54 years of independence of the country. She succeeds the current Chief Justice Asraf Caunhye who is retiring tomorrow, November 18, at the age of 67, after having held the position for over a year.
Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul was born in Phoenix and she attended the primary school, Phoenix Government School where she won the scholarship that opened the doors to the Queen Elizabeth College (QEC). In 1979, she was awarded the England Scholarship and chose to study law at the University of Sussex. After graduation, she entered the famous Middle Temple to study law. In 1983, Rehana Mungly-Gulbul was called to the bar in England and Wales.
Back in Mauritius, she worked in private practice for about 6 months before joining the Public Prosecution Service in 1984. After a few years, she was appointed magistrate. In 1990, she was appointed Magistrate of the Intermediate Court. She rose through the ranks to be appointed Vice President of the Intermediate Court and then President of the Industrial Court. In 2001, Rehana Mungly-Gulbul was appointed Deputy Master Registrar of the Supreme Court. In 2002, she was confirmed as Master and Registrar and Judge of the Bankruptcy Court.
She was sworn in as a Judge in 2008 before the President of the Republic, the late Sir Anerood Jugnauth. She rose through the ranks to become Senior Puisne Judge in 2020.
In 2008, she was appointed as a Supreme Court Judge and for the Rodrigues Court. In January 2021, she substituted for the position of Senior Puisne Judge.
Married to lawyer Raouf Gulbul, Rehana Mungly-Gulbul has two children, a son and a daughter, who are studying in Europe.
A first in the annals of the Mauritian judiciary
Mauritius has had 11 Chief Judges since independence. They are Michel Rivalland who served from 1967 to 1970, Sir Jean François Maurice Latour-Adrien from 1970 to 1977, Sir William Henry Garrioch from 1977 to 1978, Sir Cassam Moollan from 1982 to 1988, Sir Victor Joseph Patrick Glover, from 1988 to 1994, Rajsoomer Lallah in 1995 only. Ariranga Pillay succeeded him for the period 1996 to 2007, Y. K. J. Yeung Sik Yuen served from 2007 to 2013, Kheshoe Parsad Matadeen from 2013 to 2019, Marc France Eddy Balancy from 2019 to 2020 and Ashraf Caunhye from 2020 to 2021. As the 12th Chief Justice, Rehana Mungly Gulbul will be the first woman to hold the position of President of the Judiciary, with an expected tenure of 2021 to 2027. She will be called “Lady Chief Justice”.
Note that with this change in the Mauritian judiciary, it is Judge Nirmala Devat who will now hold the position of Senior Puisne Judge.
