Regina Guha

Regina Guha (died 10 August 1919) was an Indian lawyer and teacher. In 1916, Guha fought a notable case challenging the interpretation of legal provisions that effectively prohibited women from practicing law in India.

Early life and education Regina Guha was born to Priya Mohan Guha, a Bengali lawyer, and a Baghdadi Jewish mother. In 1916, Guha graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Calcutta.

Career In 1916, Guha applied to be enrolled as a pleader (lawyer) in the Alipore District Judge's court, but her application was rejected on the grounds that women were not permitted to enrol. Regina challenged this decision at the Calcutta High Court, arguing that the governing legislation, the Legal Practitioners Act, allowed qualified "persons" to enroll as lawyers, and that the definition of 'person' included women. She was represented by Eardley Norton, a lawyer and member of the Indian National Congress. In 1916, a bench of five male judges of the Calcutta High Court ruled, in the case of In Re Regina Guha, that although the governing law, the Legal Practitioners Act 1879, used the term 'person' in regard to enrolment, this term did not include women. They accordingly denied her the right to enroll as a lawyer.

Guha went on to become the headmistress of the Jewish Girls' School in Kolkata, and was the first Jewish principal of the school. in Calcutta. Guha died of rheumatic fever whilst in her twenties.

Additional reading

In re Regina Guha (1916) 21 CWN 74 the Calcutta High Court).