Leila Seth
| Hon'ble Justice Leila Seth | |
|---|---|
 Seth in 2011 | |
| 8th Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh High Court | |
|
In office 5 August 1991 – 20 October 1992 | |
| Preceded by | P. C. B. Menon |
| Succeeded by | Shashi Kant Seth |
| Judge, Delhi High Court | |
|
In office 25 July 1978 – 4 August 1991 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 October 1930 Lucknow, United Provinces, British India |
| Died |
5 May 2017 (aged 86) Noida, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse(s) | Prem Nath Seth |
| Children | 3; including Vikram |
| Alma mater | London |
| Profession | Justice |
Leila Seth (20 October 1930 – 5 May 2017) was the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court and she became the first woman to become Chief Justice of a state High Court on 5 August 1991.[1]
Background
Leila Seth was born in Lucknow and was the first woman to top the London Bar exam in 1958. She joined the bar in 1959. In the same year she also graduated as an IAS officer. Upon topping the Bar in England, Seth was referred to as “Mother-in-Law” by a London newspaper, which carried a photograph of a young Leila Seth with her infant son, born only a few months before the exams. At the same time, other newspapers expressed their grief about how out of 580 students who took the Bar Exam, a married woman topped it.[1]
When in India, she was a junior to Ashoke Kumar Sen when she used to practice during his absence from the central cabinet of India. She handled a large number of Tax matters (Income Tax, Sales Tax, Excise and Customs), Civil, Company and Criminal cases as also Matrimonial suits and writ petitions. In 1978, she was appointed as the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court. In 1991, she was appointed the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh.
She died after suffering a cardio-respiratory attack on the night of 5 May 2017 at her residence in Noida, aged 86. She is survived by her husband, two sons and a daughter. As per her wishes no funeral was held since she donated her eyes and other organs for transplant or medical research purposes.[2][3]
Commissions
Justice Seth was also a part of various enquiry commissions, one of which was responsible for studying the effects of the television serial, Shaktiman (about a popular superhero) on children. Shaktiman was a popular TV series for children and it was the center of controversy because many children set themselves on fire or threw themselves off buildings hoping that Shaktiman would come and rescue them.[4]
She was also part of an enquiry into the death of businessman Rajan Pillai, known as the “Biscuit Baron”, who was found dead in police custody. She was also part of the Law Commission of India until 2000, and was responsible for the amendments to the Hindu Succession Act which gave equal rights to daughters in joint family property. She was part of the judicial committee headed by J. S. Verma, a former Judge of Supreme Court, to suggest amendments to criminal law to sternly deal with sexual assault cases following the Nirbhaya case.
Further reading
- Seth, Leila. On Balance. New Delhi: Viking, 2003. ISBN 0-670-04988-3
- Seth, Vikram. Two Lives. HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059966-9
References
- 1 2 "5th August 1991: Justice Leila Seth Becomes the First Indian Woman Chief Justice of a state High Court".
- ↑ Leila Seth, first woman judge of Delhi high court, dies at 86
- ↑ Justice Leila Seth, First Woman Judge Of Delhi High Court, Dies At 86
- ↑ "Rajan Pillai death: Advani rejects probe plea". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.