who was the first female lawyer in india

Who was the first woman to practice law in the Bombay High Court?

At Lincoln's Inn in London, one of those students, Mithan Lam, was an Indian. In 1924, she became the first woman to be allowed to practise law in the Bombay High Court, shattering one of the thickest glass ceilings for professional women in the country. But Lam's influence extended well beyond the bar: she left an indelible stamp on ...

When did women's groups in Bombay decide to send representatives to London?

In the autumn of 1919 , women's groups in Bombay decided to send representatives to London when the British Parliament was considering female suffrage in a package of political reforms for India - also known as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.

How long has it been since women cast their votes?

Amid the pandemic gloom, it is easy to forget that the year 2020 marks an important anniversary for women's rights. In the US, it has been 100 years since women cast their votes for the first time. A century ago in the United Kingdom, the first female law students were admitted to the Inns of Court. At Lincoln's Inn in London, one of those ...

What did Lam bring to India?

Lam brought slum dwellers improved infrastructure and health facilities, helped resettle Partition refugees and led numerous social welfare activities of the All India Women's Conference. In 1947, the year of Indian independence, Lam added another first to her credit. She was appointed as the sheriff of Bombay, the first female sheriff in India. ...

What did Tata and Lam's evidence highlight?

Tata and Lam's evidence highlighted the impossibility of meaningful political reform if half of India was excluded on the grounds of sex.

Why was it a fortuitous time to return to India?

It was a fortuitous time to return because that year, the Indian government removed disqualifications for women to practise law. Lam found herself in a daunting situation as the sole female lawyer in the male bastion of the Bombay High Court.

Who approached Lam?

According to a former Supreme Court judge, Lam was approached by a solicitor whose client had a watertight case. "He has such a good case that he cannot lose," the solicitor claimed. "But he wants to inflict upon the opponent the humiliation of being defeated by a woman.". image copyright.

What profession did women enter in India?

Although women’s entry into the legal profession in India followed the somewhat familiar trajectory of their entry into the medical profession, with women doctors as well as women lawyers making a case for their entry to heal Indian women, or to represent the woman in purdah, the challenges of the former were more formidable.

Which act allowed women to enter the legal profession?

The first was the passage of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 in England which by implication would allow women to enter the legal profession; the second was the Allahabad high court taking the radical step of allowing Cornelia Sorabji to be enrolled as a vakil.

Why did Hazra choose to enter the hall?

Hazra was determined to enter the hall to write her exam, which in turn would allow her to enter the field of law. The picketers were equally determined to not allow her to enter.

What degree did Regina have?

Court records indicate that Regina, after obtaining a Bachelor of Law degree from Calcutta University in 1916, submitted an application for admission to be enrolled as pleader in the Alipore district court, which was subsequently forwarded to the Calcutta high court.

Why did the Law Society ban women from appearing for the solicitors exam?

The Law Society barred them from appearing for the examination, stating that as women, they would not qualify to become solicitors in the first place. The four women would challenge this decision in an unsuccessful legal action, Bebb vs Law Society, arguing that ‘women’ were ‘persons’ within the meaning of the Solicitor’s Act 1843.

What was the court's response to the case of Sudhanshubala Hazra?

The court’s response to the first was that while this may be an argument for the amendment of the Legal Practitioners Act, the court was chiefly concerned with the Act as it presently stood.

What is the Wire's history of feminism?

The Wire ’s Histories of Feminisms project is an attempt to emphasise that there is no linear or one way of understanding and experiencing feminism. Through a series of articles, The Wire draws your attention to some of the different narratives and debates that, over the decades, have come to define feminism.

When did Sorabji become a barrister?

Yet, despite her successes, Sorabji would not be recognised as a barrister until the law which barred women from practising was changed in 1923.

Who was the first woman to be admitted as a reader to the Codrington Library of All Souls College,

Sorabji was the first woman to be admitted as a reader to the Codrington Library of All Souls College, Oxford, at Sir William Anson 's invitation in 1890.

How many sisters did Cornelia Sorabji have?

Many of Sorabji's later educational and career decisions would be heavily influenced by her mother. Cornelia Sorabji had five surviving sisters including educator and missionary Susie Sorabji and medical doctor Alice Pennell, and one surviving brother; two other brothers died in infancy.

What did Sorabji do for Indian independence?

Early in her career, Sorabji had supported the campaign for Indian Independence, relating women's rights to the capacity for self-government. Although she supported traditional Indian life and culture, Sorabji promoted reform of Hindu laws regarding child marriage and Sati by widows.

What did Sorabji do?

Upon returning to India in 1894, Sorabji got involved in social and advisory work on behalf of the purdahnashins, women who were forbidden to communicate with the outside male world. In many cases, these women owned considerable property, yet had no access to the necessary legal expertise to defend it.

What did Sorabji do after she graduated?

According to Sorabji, she was denied the scholarship, and instead took up a temporary position as a professor of English at a men's college in Gujarat. After becoming the first female graduate of Bombay University, Sorabji wrote in 1888 to the National Indian Association for assistance in completing her education.

Why did Sorabji support the British?

By the late 1920s, however, Sorabji had adopted a staunch anti-nationalist attitude, believing that the British needed to be in India in order to counter Hindu dominance. By 1927, she was actively involved in promoting support for the Empire and preserving the rule of the British Raj.

Who is Indira Jaising?

Indira Jaising. Source: Facebook. She is considered one of the best advocates of the Supreme Court. Her husband, Anand Grover, is a noted human rights lawyer and designated senior advocate of the Supreme Court himself.

Who is Madhushree Dutta?

Along with Madhushree Dutta, she is the co-founder of Majlis, meaning ‘association’ in Arabic, “a legal and cultural resource centre that campaigns for and provides legal representation for women on issues of matrimonial rights, child custody etc.

Where is Menaka Guruswamy?

Menaka Guruswamy (India & University 1998) is currently an advocate at her own practice in New Delhi, India. Since her time at Oxford, Ms Guruswamy has worked at a law firm in New York and as a Human Rights Consultant to the United Nations, taught at the New York University School of Law, and practised law for the Office of the Attorney General of India. She holds an LLM from Harvard Law School, a BCL from the University of Oxford, and a BA and LLB from the National Law School of India University.

Who represented the media in court to get the ban on media coverage of case proceedings revoked?

The latter was passed by the Parliament as an Act in 2013. Meenakshi Lekhi represented the media in court to get the ban on media coverage of case proceedings revoked. She was successful in this effort. She took up the case of permanent commissioning of women in the Indian armed forces in the Supreme Court.

Who is Karuna Nundy?

Karuna Nundy. She is an Indian constitutional, commercial and media lawyer as well as a feminist intellectual. She received a degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. She even did a small stint as a TV journalist.

Who is Meenakshi Arora?

Meenakshi Arora. Since 1986, she has been a Supreme Court lawyer. In 1989, she became an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court to deal with appeal matters from lower courts. She had even, for a brief time, worked with Goodwin and Soble, an international law firm based in Washington DC.

Is there a saying that behind every successful man there is a female?

T here has always been a saying that behind every successful man there is a female. That may not be true and is definitely not true for some women – who manage to rise despite all odds and little support. Here are some superwomen from the legal profession who made a remarkable name for themselves.

Who was the first woman to become a senior advocate in the field of criminal law?

Rebecca John is the first woman lawyer to become a senior advocate in the field of criminal law. She joined the profession in 1988, at a time when there were rarely any female lawyers and took part in several human rights cases as well.

Who is Indira Jaising?

Indira Jaising is an advocate of the Supreme Court of India noted for her legal activism in promoting human right causes. She was ranked 20th in the list of 50 Greatest Leaders of the World by Fortune magazine.

Who is Karuna Nundy?

Karuna Nundy is an advocate in the Supreme Court of India with an expertise in constitutional law, commercial litigation and arbitration, media law and legal policy. Karuna has relentlessly fought for survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy, free speech online, and succeeded in getting justice.

Who is Deepika Singh Rajawat?

An advocate at Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Deepika Singh Rajawat is famous for handling the Kathua Rape Case in Kashmir. She was the first person who filed a written petition for Asifa’s case and has done commendable work for juvenile justice.

Who is Menaka Guruswamy?

1. Menaka Guruswamy. Source: source. Menaka is an advocate in the Supreme Court of India who works on a range of legal areas such as corporate law, criminal law, and constitutional law.

Who is Kamini Jaiswal?

Kamini Jaiswal is an Indian lawyer practising at the Supreme Court of India. She along with Prashant Bhushan appeared for PIL filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) in Supreme Court on 2G case.

Who is Sudha Bharadwaj?

Sudha Bharadwaj. Source: source. Sudha Bharadwaj is a trade unionist, a civil rights activist against land acquisition. She is the general secretary of the Chhattisgarh People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), and also the founder of 'Janhit', a lawyers collective.

Overview

Early life and education

Legal career

Social and reform work

Publications

Memorials

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