Meet Indu Malhotra, the first woman lawyer to be directly promoted as SC judge

New Delhi: Talk about shattering the glass ceiling! 62-year-old Indu Malhotra has scripted history by being the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.  

Senior advocate Indu Malhotra is set to make history. She will be the first woman lawyer to be appointed as a SC Judge. Pic: Lawctopus pic.twitter.com/9a9VEEGlar

— SheThePeople (@SheThePeopleTV) January 12, 2018

Malhotra, who was designated as a senior advocate in 2007, would be the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the top court, instead of being elevated from a high court. She will be the seventh woman judge since independence to make it to the Supreme Court. At present, Justice R Banumathi is the lone woman judge in the apex court. Since Independence, only six women judges have made it to the apex court as judges and the first appointment was of Justice M Fathima Beevi in 1989. And 29 years later, history has been created again. Here are a few quick facts about her:

• Indu Malhotra is the daughter of prominent lawyer Om Prakash Malhotra and was born in 1956 in Bengaluru.
• She first pursued LLB from Delhi University, after her masters degree in political science.
• She joined the legal profession in 1983 and later secured the first position in the Advocate-on-Record exam for the Supreme Court in 1988.
• Malhotra is an expert in arbitration and has authored the third edition of The Law and Practice of Arbitration and Conciliation, 2014.
• In her career spanning over 35 years, she has served as Standing Counsel for the State of Haryana and represented statutory bodies like the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), before the Supreme Court.

The news was hailed by one and all on Twitter:  

Glad Supreme Court delivers on gender justice in proposing lawyer Ms Indu Malhotra as judge of Apex Court . K M Joseph too super choice . — Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) January 12, 2018

 

Collegium recommendation of Indu Malhotra directly to SC judgeship is an extraordinary recognition to a woman lawyer @the_hindu @abaruah64

— Krishnadas Rajagopal (@kdrajagopal) January 11, 2018

 

Congratulations to InduMalhotra. You have proved that intelligence & hardwork can reap remarkable success in life. Excellent decision by #SupremeCourt collegium. #WomenEmpowerment in India needs more of such news. — Dipali Goenka (@DipaliGoenka) January 12, 2018

 

Collegium recommendation of Indu Malhotra directly to SC judgeship is an extraordinary recognition to a woman lawyer. @Inkhabar

— Ashish Sinha (@Ashish_sinhaa) January 11, 2018

 

The government should keep up to its mark in promoting gender equality in all fields of seniority by accepting the recommendation to appoint Indu Malhotra the first woman advocate as JUDGE OF SUPREME COURT. #PMOI India had just 6 woman judges in 68 years. — Nita Kewl (@Nitzmatazz) January 12, 2018

This gesture of Supreme Court will certainly prove a milestone for gender justice in India and pave path for more women in judiciary.