In a historic move, SC designates 11 women advocates as senior advocates in one go

New Delhi: In a historic stride, the Supreme Court on Friday conferred the prestigious senior designation upon 11 accomplished women lawyers in a single day. The event marked a significant milestone, as only a dozen women advocates have been honored with the senior designation since the establishment of the Supreme Court in 1950. During the day, the Supreme Court also conferred senior designation to 45 other male advocates in recognition of their excellence in the legal profession.
Guided by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, a total of 56 lawyers, comprising 11 women and 34 first-generation legal practitioners, were granted the status of senior advocate. Justice Indu Malhotra, now a retired judge of the Supreme Court, made history as the first lawyer to be conferred the prestigious senior advocate designation by the Supreme Court in 2007. This landmark achievement took place a remarkable 57 years after the establishment of the Supreme Court, underscoring both the rarity of such designations. The 11 women lawyers who were designated seniors on Friday are Shobha Gupta, Swarupama Chaturvedi, Liz Mathew, Karuna Nundy, Uttara Babbar, Haripriya Padmanabhan, Archana Pathak Dave, Shirin Khajuria, NS Nappinai, S Janani, and Nisha Bagchi. Chief Justice Chandrachud and the Judges of the Supreme Court, in a full court meeting held on Friday, designated the 56 advocates as senior advocates with effect from January 19, 2024.