Justice Leila Seth, the first woman judge of Delhi High Court, died at her residence in Noida on Saturday. Seth, mother of author Vikram Seth, was 86 years old.
Seth, who was also an IAS officer, was the first woman to top the London bar exam in 1958. She became the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court in 1978 following which she was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 1991. Here also, she was the first woman to ever be appointed to the position of chief justice of a state high court.
Before Seth became the first woman judge of the Delhi HC, she practised law for a decade at the Patna High Court and also managed several tax matters, civil and criminal cases, matrimonial suits and writ petitions. She was appointed to the Law Commission of India in 2000 and was also in-charge of the amendments that were made to the Hindu Succession Act to give equal rights to daughters in joint family property.
Seth wrote an autobiography called 'On Balance' in 2003 in which she talked about studying law and her family life among other things. She also wrote 'We, The Children of India' in 2010 for the young readers of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, writer and historian Ramachandra Guha and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee condoled the death through Twitter.
Saddened by the passing away of Justice Leila Seth. Her remarkable contribution to the legal field will be remembered. My condolences: PM
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 6, 2017
Saddened at the passing of Justice Leila Seth. She was a champion of human rights. My condolences to her family — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 6, 2017
Justice Leila Seth was a remarkable human being, an exceptional Indian, a sublime combination of intelligence, grace, and courage. — Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) May 6, 2017
Justice Leila Seth, first woman judge of Delhi HC, member of Verma Committee, passed away. #Respect her support for women's, LGBT rights . — Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) May 6, 2017
