Talking of Justice Seth

Leila Seth made everything look easy, whether it was when she became the first woman to top the London Bar exam, the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court in 1978 or the first woman Chief Justice of a state High Court (Himachal Pradesh) in 1991. Known for her contribution to multiple law committees and critiquing judgements when necessary, the legal system has lost one of its finest jurists. Here are highlights from her career.

Seth co-authored the report suggesting pioneering amendments to the Hindu Succession Act (2005) which gave daughters equal rights over inheritance. n As part of the Justice Verma committee report (2013), she recommended amendments to criminal law for speedy trials and stricter punishments for those who commit sexual crimes against women.

Staunch critic of the Supreme Court’s verdict of re-criminalising consensual sex between homosexuals, Seth, in a compassionate letter, wrote, “To criminalise the expression of the right to love is profoundly cruel and inhumane.”