Leila Seth was the first woman Chief Justice in India. She graduated
as an IAS officer in 1958, became chief justice of
Himachal Pradesh in 1991, and served for 6 years. She was the
Chair of the Commonwealth Human Rights Institute
(CHRI) for several years, and sees "the main aim of social action litigation as the
provision of a decent standard of living to working people".
Born in 1930, she enrolled in the Calcutta High Court in 1959, and the
Supreme Court of India in the same year.
Three months after giving birth to her youngest child she
topped the London bar exams, the first woman to do so, and went on to
become India's first woman chief justice. She is currently a senior
advocate of the Supreme Court.
Her daughter, Aradhana, is a
filmmaker, and her son Vikram is an author.
Leila Seth's autobiography, On Balance, was recently published by Penguin India. In this book, she talks about her early years of homelessness and struggle, her straying into law while in England with her husband Premo, and later practising in Patna, Calcutta and Delhi; and her happy marriage of over fifty years, including the experience of bringing up three remarkable children: writer Vikram, peace activist Shantum and film-maker Aradhana. Also dwelt upon are her views regarding corruption, discrimination and delay in the legal system; some judg ments dealing with education and with inter-personal and constitutional law; and her experiences as a member of the 15th Law Commission. There are also delightful vignettes: Premo and her turning an old mansion into a splendid home in Patna, Vikram's writing of the novel A Suitable Boy, Shantum's ordination as a Buddhist teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh and Aradhana's marriage to Peter, an Austrian diplomat, and work as art director on films like Earth and Water.
Among her roles are:
- Vice President, World Wildlife Fund, India
-
Chair, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
- Member, National Law Commission
- Executive council,
MARG
- Advisory
board, WISCOMP
- Newsclips
- Legal
biography from the Delhi High Court website.
- Human
Rights: An International Legal Perspective. A report from a
conference in Salzburg.
- Delhi
High Court appoints 3-member panel to test the adverse effects of the
serial Shaktimaan on children, March 99. Seth is on the panel, and
also headed the inquiry into industrialist Rajan Pillai's death in
prison.
- Law
Commission proposes equal share in ancestral property for Hindu
women. Justice Leila Seth is a member of the commission. Indian
Express, 12 May 00.
- A dialogue
with
Amartya Sen, in which the panel included Leila Seth.4 Jan 1999.
- Seth
at an India-Pakistan peace initiative The Hindu, 15 July 2001.
- Review
imprisonment system. Leila Seth calls for changes in the
imprisonment system in India. The Tribune, 28 Oct 2001.
Bibliography
- On Balance
Penguin India. (2003)
- The first woman Chief Justice of a High Court in India, the first woman Judge
of the Delhi High Court, the first woman to top the Bar examinations in
London: seventy-three-year-old Leila Seth has led a full life. In this
autobiography, Leila talks about its joyous as well as its difficult
moments. Figuring prominently are her early years of homelessness and
struggle, her straying into law while in England with her husband Premo, and
later practising in Patna, Calcutta and Delhi; and her happy marriage of over
fifty years, including the experience of bringing up three remarkable
children: writer Vikram, peace activist Shantum and film-maker Aradhana. Also
dwelt upon are her views regarding corruption, discrimination and delay in
the legal system; some judgements dealing with education and with
inter-personal and constitutional law; and her experiences as a member of the
15th Law Commission. There are also delightful vignettes: Premo and her
turning an old mansion into a splendid home in Patna, Vikram's writing of the
novel A Suitable Boy, Shantum's ordination as a Buddhist teacher by Thich
Nhat Hanh and Aradhana's marriage to Peter, an Austrian diplomat, and work as
art director on films like Earth and Water.
- Review in the South Asian
- A woman of substance. In the Hindu
- Mama strikes Balance. Indian Express.
- A balanced diet. Nilanjana Roy interviews Leila Seth, in Business Standard.
- A story of courage. Rediff.
- A suitable girl who became a judge Hindustan Times.
- A fine balance. Leila Seth writes about her writing, in The Tribune.
- A suitable life. Indian Express.
