Supreme Court Judge Justice Hima Kohli said Yesterday (March 16th), she was not deterred from joining the legal profession, a male bastion, in the 1980s when very few women were there.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Justice Hima Kohli, speaking on Friday, emphasized that she wasn’t discouraged from entering the legal profession, which was predominantly male-dominated in the 1980s, despite the scarcity of women practitioners at the time.
Addressing law students, Justice Kohli offered valuable advice, urging them not to be disheartened if they lacked relatives or acquaintances in the legal field. Reflecting on her own journey, she remarked,
“Unlike the situation today, when I started my career in the mid-1980s, there were very few women in the profession. But that did not deter me. I didn’t know that I would end up being a judge, much less a chief justice of a state high court and then a judge of the Supreme Court.”
Her remarks were delivered during an event at the Campus Law Centre (CLC) of Delhi University, where she shared insights from her remarkable career trajectory, serving as inspiration for aspiring lawyers, especially women, navigating the legal landscape.
She was inaugurating the ’20th K K Luthra Memorial Moot Court-2024’ at the CLC.
The two-day event will host 72 teams, including those from the UK, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Zimbabwe and Nepal.
Underlining the importance of hard work and perseverance, the apex court judge said,
“Those of you who do not have any family members, relatives or friends in the legal profession, like I did not, do not feel disheartened or inadequate. I do not come from an illustrious legal background. No one in my family belonged to the legal profession.”
As a student of CLC, she had fond memories of interactions with teachers and time spent with friends on the campus over glasses of tea and samosas, Justice Kohli said.
“When you go out to intern in law offices and chambers of senior lawyers, keep your eyes and ears open. Be a sponge and soak in as much as you can. What you will retain will stay for a long time and help in dealing with all kinds of situations in the future. Don’t be afraid of asking questions,”
-she said.
The apex court judge said success was not measured by salary, title or degree, but by the impact lawyers had on people and their collective happiness.
“Learn to be dispassionate and objective when you discharge your duties. But never be clinically cold and indifferent. Ultimately, you are dealing with individuals, their problems, their jobs, their properties, their lives and all those who are attached to them,”
-she said.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports of Supreme Court
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
