Hima Kohli becomes first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court
The first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Cour, Hima Kohli was inspired by her mother's love for fiction novels to pursue a legal profession.
Judge Hima Kohli was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court becoming the first woman to hold the position. She is also the only woman Chief Justice across 25 high courts of India.
The oath-taking ceremony that took place in Raj Bhavan on Thursday was administered by governor Tamilisai Soundararajan with state chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao, and families of ministers and judges in attendance.
She will be succeeding former Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan, who has been transferred to the High Court of Jharkhand.
A few days ago, the Delhi High Court where Hima served as a Judge, bid her farewell through a virtual gathering.
Chief Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel congratulated Hima on behalf of the entire legal fraternity in Delhi and said, “She (Hima Kohli) has always upheld the law in letter and spirit… justice shall be done without fear and favour. Justice Kohli possesses all virtues and much more. Her elevation is a matter of pride.”
Hima Kohli was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Telangana at Raj Bhavan on Thursday.
Inspired by her mother
However, India would not be witnessing this historic moment had Hima followed her initial plan to join the administrative cadre after clearing the Civil Services exam.
After completing her post-graduation studies in History from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, Hima decided to enrol for LLB programme – while she prepared for the civil services exam – simply because her peers were taking up legal studies at the Campus Law Centre.
“However, midway through the law course, when I sat for the preliminary examinations and cleared the same, it dawned on me that I was not really cut out to become a bureaucrat and rather, I was quite enjoying the law course,” she had shared her story nearly ten years ago at an event organised by the Society of Women lawyers.
What excited her to continue further in the legal profession was her mother’s love for fiction novels by American lawyer and author Erle Stanley Gardner, which revolved around criminal cases and court dramas.
In addition to rising through the ranks in more than three decades in the legal and judiciary profession, she was appointed as a Member of the Governing Council of the National Law in In July 2020.