Supreme Court Creates Historic Milestone with 11 Women Lawyers Elevated to Senior Advocate Status

New Delhi: In a historic move, the Supreme Court of India conferred Senior Advocate status on 11 women lawyers in a singular day, marking a significant departure from the past. The decision, made during a full-court meeting under the leadership of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, saw the promotion of a total of 56 lawyers, including 11 women and 34 first-generation lawyers.

This landmark decision gains prominence when compared to the fact that only 12 female lawyers had been granted Senior Advocate status before this noteworthy Friday. The move reflects a concerted effort to address gender disparities in the legal profession.

The 11 accomplished women lawyers who attained Senior Advocate status 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. Among the first-generation lawyers elevated to Senior Advocates are Amit Anand Tiwari, Saurabh Mishra, and Abhinav Mukherjee.

Justice Indu Malhotra broke barriers in 2007 as the first female lawyer to become a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court, 57 years after its establishment. In subsequent years, the elevation of Meenakshi Arora, Kiran Suri, and Vibha Dutta Makhija in 2013, followed by V Mohana and Mahalakshmi Pavani in 2015, marked positive strides in recognizing women’s contributions in the legal field.

In 2019, the Supreme Court continued its commitment to gender equality by granting Senior Advocate status to six more women lawyers—Madhavi Dewan, Maneka Guruswamy, Anita Shenoy, Aparajita Singh, Aishwarya Bhati, and Priya Hingorani. The latest decision reflects a continued effort to acknowledge and empower women in the legal fraternity, breaking traditional barriers and fostering a more inclusive legal landscape.