Justice Hima Kohli calls her retirement as re-attiring

New Delhi [India], August 30 : The Supreme Court Judge Justice Hima Kohli, at her farewell function, said she is re-attiring as the blacks, the whites and the greys will not take all the space in her wardrobe but she can try to attire herself in different colours.
Justice Kohli made these statements while delivering a speech at the farewell function organised for her by the Supreme Court Bar Association.
"Now that I lay down office, I do not intend to hang my boots or store my sandals. Now that I lay down the office, having served in the highest court of the land, let me assure you I do not intend to hang my boots or Shall I personalize it and say store my sandals. Very recently I was asked if I am retiring or re-attiring. It didn't take me a moment to say that I am re-attiring," Justice Kohli said.
She further added that it only means that the blacks, the whites and the greys will not take up all the space in my wardrobe.
"In my sixth phase of life I will try and re-attire myself in different colours of the VIBGYOR," Justice Kohli said
This means works but make time for family and friends and reignite my interest in hobbies that have long been placed on the backburner, Justice Kohli said.
Justice Kohli has served as the judge of the Delhi High Court and Chief Justice of Telangana High Court before she was elevated to the Supreme Court. Justice Hima Kohli is retiring on September 1, 2024, and after her retirement, the number of women judges at the top court will be reduced to 2 female judges.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that Justice Kohli is an inspiration to young lawyers and judges across the country.
Responding to the speech given by the SCBA President and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal demanding an increase in the number of women judges, CJI Chandrachud said that they have to begin such initiatives in the building blocks of the profession.
CJI mentioned that he has learned recently that 78 out of 108 recruits to the Delhi district judiciary were women.
He further added that the spread of women's education has spurred and when we create equal opportunity workspaces for women, women are capable of succeeding. "The reason why women are joining the district judiciary in such large numbers is because there is an equal or a level playing field at the very threshold," CJI said and mentioned that the problem with the legal profession is that there is no level playing field for women when they enter the profession.
"I would therefore request all seniors, let's stop recruitment to seniors chambers purely on the basis of networks, friends, children, network children coming into our chambers. Why don't we have say the SCBA put out that well, these are the seniors who would like to recruit juniors for the next term and why don't we have some sort of a level playing field for juniors to apply for recruitment to chambers," CJI said.
"If we create a level playing field for women, these experiences of the district judiciary indicate that women are capable of succeeding. And these women who are today joining the district judiciary are then going to go on and become High Court judges and eventually become Supreme Court judges," CJI said.
"We ought not to be asking ourselves why so few judges of the Supreme Court. We have to begin today and see how better we create working conditions for women in the legal profession in the district judiciary, from the district judiciary to the high courts," CJI said.
CJI Chandrachud also said that as a chairperson of the Supreme Court's Gender Sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee, Justice Kohli has maintained that gender justice is central to a just society.
"Above all, Hima has sent, I think, a very crucial message that to succeed as a woman, you do not have to forsake your femininity," CJI said and further opined that it is very crucial.
"Because every woman professional brings a crucial element of her own ingrained compassion and sensitivity and to succeed in our profession, you don't have to behave like a man. You can continue to be a woman and bring the best traits of a woman to the profession," CJI said.