Justice Hima Kohli, the eighth woman to become a judge of the Supreme Court, asked for only one gift from CJI Chandrachud at her farewell ceremony before retirement. She said that after my departure, a woman judge should be appointed to this place. Justice Hima Kohli is retiring on September 1 after serving the law for 40 years. Before that, she became emotional while sharing the dias with CJI Chandrachud in the ceremonial bench. Friday was her last working day.
She said that now she is saying goodbye to this black and white world. On this occasion, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal also spoke emotionally and urged the CJI to give women a proper place in the judiciary. He told the CJI, even after fighting serious cases in law firms, women do not get a high position. Such talented women should be appointed as High Court judges. If women can become Prime Minister and President, then they can also become judges of the Supreme Court and High Court.
The CJI also silently agreed with Kapil Sibal. The CJI said that women are leaving men behind in terms of appointment as judicial officers. He said, senior advocates should train as many women as possible and make them successful like themselves. If a level playing field is created for women in the legal profession, then lawyers like Kohli will also become successful.
Let us tell you that Justice Kohli was the first lawyer from her family. She worked with Sunanda Bhandara, YK Sabharwal and Vijendra Jain. All three became High Court judges. Kohli also followed in her footsteps and became a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006. After this she became the first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. On 31 August 2021, CJI NV Ramana administered the oath to three women judges as Supreme Court judges. This included Justice Kohli, BV Nagaratni and Bela M Trivedi. Earlier, there were only seven women judges in the Supreme Court. In September 2027, Justice Nagaratna will become the first CJI of the Supreme Court.
