Historic: Hima Kohli sworn in as first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High court

Hyderabad: Justice Hima Kohli was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, marking a historic day. The Justice took her oath at Raj Bhavan in presence of Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, on 7th morning.

Born on 2 September 1959 in Delhi, Justice Kohli went to St. Thomas School, New Delhi, and graduated in history (hons.) from St. Stephens' College, University of Delhi. After completing her post-graduation in history, she enrolled for an LLB course at the Law Faculty, Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi. She completed the law course in 1984 and enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi the same year.

From 1999-2004, she served as the standing counsel and legal advisor of the New Delhi Municiapl Council in the High Court of Delhi. Justice Kohli was appointed the additional standing counsel (civil) for the government of national capital territory of Delhi in the Delhi High Court in December 2004. She has represented the government of Delhi in several important public interest litigations.

Justice Kohli was the legal advisor to the public grievances commission, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India, the National Co-operative Development Corporation, and other private organisations and banks. She was a member of the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee, a statutory body constituted under the Legal Services Authority Act.

She was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on 29 May 2006 and took oath as a permanent Judge on 29 August 2007. She was appointed a member of the general council of the West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences, Kolkata, from 11 August 2017. Justice Kohli was also nominated as a member of the editorial committee of 'Nyaya Deep', the official journal published by National Legal Services Authority, from 7 May 2019.

CJ Kohli was appointed as the chairperson of the Committee of the Delhi Judicial Academy from 11 March 2020. She was also the chairperson of a high-powered committee constituted by the government of NCT of Delhi on 26 March this year in terms of the order dated 23 March 2020 passed by the Supreme Court of India for decongestion of jails in all states and Union territories in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was appointed the executive chairperson of the Delhi State Legal Services Authority from 20 May 2020 and the chairperson of the Delhi High Court Middle Income Group Legal Aid Society from 29 June. From 30 June this year, she was appointed a member of the governing council of the National Law University.

And is also a member of the administrative and general supervision committee of the High Court and the chairperson of the Delhi High Court building and maintenance committee, mediation and conciliation committee, and the family courts committee.

Apart from performing her official duties as a judge, she takes a keen interest in promoting mediation as an alternative dispute resolution forum, in highlighting the role of the judiciary in the preservation of the ecology and environment, and the role of family courts in resolving family disputes. She has participated in and presented papers at several national and international symposiums and conferences on these subjects.