Tributes Pour In for Justice Hima Kohli as She Prepares to Retire from Supreme Court

The Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud praised Justice Hima Kohli on Friday, highlighting her role not just as a woman judge but as a steadfast advocate for women’s rights. The CJI was holding a ceremonial bench to honor Justice Kohli, who is set to retire on September 1.

Justice Kohli, who is ninth in seniority among the Supreme Court judges, will leave the apex court with only two women judges remaining: Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Bela M Trivedi.

“It has been a pleasure to sit with Justice Kohli. We have exchanged serious ideas and thoughts. There have been times when she supported me. Hima, you are not just a woman judge but also a fierce protector of the rights of women,” said CJI Chandrachud.

Attorney General R Venkataramani commended Justice Kohli for her lifelong dedication to justice. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta noted, “We have always seen a tough exterior on the bench, but we have also seen a soft, humane, and compassionate side of Justice Kohli.” He added that her judgments, characterized by compassion, will always be remembered.

Supreme Court Bar Association President (SCBA) and senior advocate Kapil Sibal remarked that Justice Kohli’s tenure as an apex court judge felt too brief. He described her as having a stern demeanor but an empathetic heart. Sibal humorously remarked, “When we enter your court and see you with glasses perched on your nose, we know we are in for a challenge. Yet, you have been a pleasant judge. Nobody could finesse you or bowl a googly.”

Justice Kohli was born on September 2, 1959, in Delhi. She attended St. Thomas School, New Delhi, and graduated with Honors in History from St. Stephen’s College. She pursued her post-graduation in History and later completed her LLB at the Law Faculty, Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, in 1984.

Her legal career began as the standing counsel and legal adviser for the New Delhi Municipal Council at the Delhi High Court from 1999 to 2004. She was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 2004 and subsequently appointed as the additional standing counsel for the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in the Delhi High Court in December 2004.

Justice Kohli was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on May 29, 2006, and became a permanent judge on August 29, 2007. She was a member of the General Council of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, from August 11, 2017.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she chaired a high-powered committee constituted by the Delhi government on March 26, 2020, to address the issue of jail decongestion.

Justice Kohli was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court on January 7, 2021, and was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 31, 2021. Her tenure in the Supreme Court has been marked by her dedication to justice and her advocacy for women’s rights.

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