COVER STORY 35
COVER STORY 35
Pinky Anand is an Indian lawyer designated as Senior Advocate and is also a politician . She is currently the Additional Solicitor General of India at the Supreme Court of India .
In 2007 , Pinky was designated as Senior Advocate , and in 2014 , she was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India . She is the second woman lawyer to be appointed to this post after Indira Jaising was appointed in the UPA 2 tenure .
Pinky represented the French government in the famous case of Clemenceau against genetically modified food in India , etc . She was also Arbitrator with the Indian Council of Arbitrations . According to Pinky , her life-changing court case was when she , then a novice in law , appeared against reputed Jurist L . M . Singhvi and eventually won .
Pinky is considered an expert in the field of constitutional law , property , private international law , family law , environmental law , and corporate law . She was Head of All-India Legal Cell at BJP and is former Additional Advocate-General for the State of Uttarakhand .
Describe your journey as a leading woman lawyer ?
I decided to become a lawyer as a fresh graduate . I think the major motivation came from the fact that I was an active member of the political scene in the Delhi University . I was brought into politics at the level of Delhi University when I was at the Campus Law Centre . I was the first woman secretary in the Delhi University Students ’ Union and had full opportunity to engage in social activism .
I chose law as I appreciated its independent professional status . It has not always been an easy journey . When I joined the profession , it was predominantly maledominated .
I was fortunate to have the tutelage of the best from my professors at Harvard Law School and Lady Shri Ram College . I was lucky to have received the best in education and support , especially from Mr K K Luthra , Senior Advocate , during my initiation into the profession . Not having any family in this line , I had to learn the ropes the hard way . Starting from the Trial Courts , I made my way upwards . I would advise others to use the same path .
I love the challenges of law . What I find exciting is the unchartered territories ; issues that impact large cross-sections of society ; constitutional issues ; emerging issues . There are so many cases that I have been involved with that I find it difficult to enumerate . To name a few , the triple talaq case , the case of the French ship Clemenceau brought into India for ship breaking ; the Khushboo matter which became path-breaking for freedom of speech ; framing of guidelines for good Samaritans in accident cases ; legalizing e-rickshaws ; bringing drinking water to Delhi ; effectively doing away with the pernicious practice of Devdasis : amplifying the dimensions of domestic violence laws , strengthening family planning policies in India ; the SEBI case where recently judgment was pronounced upholding the SEBI amendments , paving the way for efficient and active disposal of cases ; the constitutional case of Arjun Munda CM which led to his becoming the CM ; delimitation cases ; and scores of others .
Describe the challenges that you have faced as a leading woman lawyer ?
As I said , at the time when I entered the profession , it was a male bastion . There was only a smattering of women , and that too , at junior levels . Women had just started to come out in the light and flourish throughout the country . It was only the beginning . Not only that , law at that time was not considered a desirable profession , being rather exacting in most ways . Today of course , law is the most-sought-after profession . I was in any case not only the first lawyer , but the first professional in my family . I hail from a business family and had no silver spoon or lineage advantage . I had to chart my own course . Women lawyers were hardly at the top of the profession or preferred . The general mindset placed women as amateurs . I will be honest to say that in my case , recognition came easy - it was never a real battle . You needed to prove your seriousness and commitment and somehow that worked . I consider myself blessed that fate has been kind . I was a debater and speaker at all levels , which helped me along the way . Positions of importance were given at all stages , academic , extra-curricular , political , professional . I got an opportunity to hone my skills .
Living in Delhi , it was the notion for a change that propelled me to excel in the field . I chose to start working with women-centric laws because at the time , they needed to be developed . The mindsets needed to be changed . It warms my heart to see that the changes that I envisioned all those years ago have come to pass today , and I consider myself fortunate to have played a part in precipitating them .
www . legaleraonline . com | Legal Era | November 2017